Star Fox: Insanity Pulse
by ThatWinchieGuy
Summary: Cyalinth, a proud planet of the Ryplar System, finds itself at the mercy of the Grand Cornerian Empire. Fox/Krystal and OC based story. Rated T for some cursing and graphic chapters. Reviews and favorites are always appreciated! Enjoy!
1. Annoyance

**Dear Reader,**

**What you are about to read is my first attempt at a fic that is not centered around romance. This fic will be focused around a story, not the progession of relationships like my previous two fics (My Life is Yours and Filling the Void). My other works were very bland, there were few action scenes and almost no underlying story other than "this is Fox's life." Don't get me wrong, I love both of those stories, but they just aren't meant to be read like novels; they're more like biographies. In this, I've created villians, conspiracies, action, violence, and, I'm not going to lie, some romance (No, I'm not going to shy away from what I love and what I know too much). Basically, I want this to feel a little bit like a movie. I want you to be excited while you're reading it, not trying to decipher what all my far-fetched symbols mean. High octane action for a greater purpose or goal. That's the idea. **

**First, a little insight. This story takes place somewhere in the gap between Star Fox Adventures and Star Fox Assault, which always seemed to me as being at least a decade. Fox seems very young in Star Fox Adventures, perhaps 18 or 19, and in Assault he always struck me as being about 30. The way he acts is drastically different in the two games, and he even sounds more mature in Assault due to his voice's deeper pitch. My other fics do not take place in this one; ergo their stories are unrelated to this one. If you've read them, which I thank you for, I ask that you put them completely out of mind while reading this, for some things are going to clash with my other fics set in this time period. I'm going to portray Fox in a way I personally have never done before; as a professional first and an individual second. I always showed Fox as this sort of love-hungry weirdo that's just crazy enough about Krystal to be considered cute. Now, he's going to be much more stern, less emotional, more in control. I'm also going to be revisiting most of the team; Falco, Slippy, and Krystal are going to seem more fleshed out in my writing than they did before, and I'm also going to explore the character of other characters in the series. This also will be my first attempt at creating a true, original character that interacts with the team in various ways. The fic will be in third person, which I feel the most comfortable writing in.**

**If you look back at my other stories, they seem very vague; it's almost hard to follow exactly what's going on some times. I'm aiming to remedy that in this fic; more detail will be added, more explanations. This will be important to the kind of story I want to write. **

**For those reading this chapter before release; **

**I am planning for this to be longer than my two previous fics, but much less clunky. The writing should feel more fluid than my other two stories; I'm going to take a much longer time proofreading and editing this fic. Therefore, chapters may take longer to upload, which I know upsets people. I always felt like I was one of the quickest updaters on this site, which was a good and bad thing. The positive was that my content was out rapidly, and people could easily follow the story. The negative of this was that I began to rush, and therefore the endings my first story seemed really dull to me. The first chapter of this fic will go up shortly after I complete Star Fox: Filling the Void. **

**-ThatWinchieGuy**

**So…This is it. Finally this "long awaited" story gets it's origins. Quick update, however; I put a stop to This is For Me completely. I just didn't have time to write it and I didn't really like how the whole thing panned out. **

**This Fic Will contain two MAJOR Original Creations of mine; The Planet Cyalinth of the Ryplar System, and Akiba, it's leader. These two creations are completely non-canon. Cyalinth is a desert planet; akin to Egypt or Saudia Arabia of our Earth. Akiba is the schizophrenic leader of Cyalinth, riddled with more than a few mental illnesses, but a brilliant mind nonetheless. **

**And now, I present, Star Fox: Insanity Pulse. Enjoy.**

**-ThatWinchieGuy**

…..

_Those who deny freedom to others deserve it not for themselves._

_-Abraham Lincoln_

…

"Sir, the foreigners request a conference with you." The servant stayed there, unmoving, resting on one knee.

"Send word to them that I will listen to their argument. You have done well, boy. Dismissed."

The man sighed, placing his beak into his feathery hands. He looked around at the sandstone walls of the throne hall; decorated with writing and reliefs, each a thousand years old. How did he get here? Did he want this still?

_Absolutely._

Akiba, the son of Garmund of the merchant class, had risen to dominance through his philosophies and teachings. Akiba believed that nationalism and pride for one's country was key to success, and that every person on Cyalinth should be able to call every other person a friend. They must band together and work as one.

Akiba limped on wearily; exhausted from the week's occurances. These foreigners had contacted him three times in five days, and not on pleasant terms. All of their words seemed- to Akiba, at least- to be threats against Cyalinth. Needless to say, Akiba did not like these men. They all acted like hyenas; hungry for money and power.

These foreigners called themselves the Cornerians, or, more specifically, the Grand Cornerian Empire. From what Akiba could understand, these men had taken over every planet of their home system, and now they were moving on the Ryplar system. Akiba wasn't about to let that happen willingly.

Akiba stopped briefly outside the ornate door to the meeting room, fixing his outfit. He breathed in heavily and turned the knob, letting the stench of imperialistic corruption fill his nostrils.

Three dogs, dressed in full military uniform, sat around the large, circular table of the meeting room. The writings in ancient Cyalinthian continued their never-ending swirl around the walls of the room.

"Great Akiba, welcome. We'd been hoping you'd review our offer once more. Please, sit, talk for a while." The hound said. Akiba had digested a few days ago that this was their leader.

"You do not tell me when to sit when you are on my land. I am still in control, sir, and I have it in my best interests to make sure that it remains as so." Akiba pulled the seat towards him and sat down, after ranting.

"And, as you know, that is where our offer resides. We wish to annex Cyalinth into the Grand Cornerian Empire. We have many things to offer you, and if you woul-"

"I am not interested in any deal made by men of your kind. This meeting is dismissed. Good day, gentlemen." Akiba huffed, making for the door.

"Mr. Akiba, this is nothing to be concerned about. We will be helping you! Building schools, teaching your people, civilizing you..." The hound said, unknowing of what beast he had just released.

"Civilizing? You think you are…civilizing us?!" Akiba said, pointing to himself.

"Why…yes! It's obvious!"

It took all of Akiba's power not to order an assassination at that very moment. Who were THEY to declare his nation, his life, all he devoted himself to uncivilized?!

"Sir… you dishonor me. Our civilization is strong, proud, and free of corruption. We have hospitals, schools, armies. All these we created without Cornerian aid. And we will continue to do and remain as so." Akiba snarled; visibly angry.

"Are you threatening us, Akiba?"

Akiba thought carefully about his next words. He could easily bring the destruction of his entire nation and life with one word.

These were things he was willing to fight for.

…


	2. Something Isn't Right

"These savages won't let up, will they?" General Pepper exclaimed, sitting in his office.

"No, sir. We've encountered heavy resistance from the cities of Rah Lough and Jek. They're not giving up as easily as we had thought." The officer sat in his seat, his lower lip quivering.

"Tell me about their…leader… this man Ak…Aki…Akiba?"

"Well…he's absolutely crazy, sir. He blinks rapidly, like he's trying to wash something out of his eye constantly." The young man shifted in his seat. Thinking about Akiba made him uneasy. "He talks in these cryptic metaphors all the time…."

"I don't care what he's like, Captain. I care about his skill. Is he someone that can be defeated with minimal effort?" General Pepper leaned into his desk, resting his chin on his fists.

The officer paused for a second, deep in thought.

"Well, like you said, he is a savage."

"Then I'll send a fleet at once, and focus on greater things. Cyalinth will be ours within the week. Dismissed, Captain." General Pepper waved the young man out.

…

"My lord, the Cornerian Empire is a strong force! You would be wise to surrender now!" Akiba flashed quickly past his chief advisor; a short avian by the name of Mehlehk. Akiba and Mehlehk had been friends since birth, and even joined in Partnership on occasions.

"I will not surrender to the fires of imperialism! We fight; for this is our land, and nobody shall take it from us without the draining of our veins!" The anger and tension in Akiba was palpable.

"I know, sir, but…listen to reason! They are too strong! They have technology beyond our years!" Mehlehk pleaded, jogging to keep up with Akiba, who strode towards the War Room.

"Mehlehk…the people do not yet know of the Cornerians. I agree with you, in a sense; declaring an all-out war during the Partnership would be a grave mistake. This, I am sure of. As soon as the festival is over, however, all the sons and daughters of Cyalinth will take up arms at my command. You cannot stop me, comrade."

"But sir, listen to me, for I love you, and I do not want to see our end come so soon!" Mehlehk trailed behind the striding Akiba.

Akiba halted and turned to face Mehlehk.

"I love you, this is true. But I will not listen to such cowardice at a time with which we celebrate our honor and unity. You are dismissed; I shall hear no more." Akiba continued his swift walk to the War Room.

Mehlehk retreated to his quarters.

…..

Akiba stepped out onto the balcony, into the white light of Ryplar's sun. Shouts and screams of joy and endearment enveloped him, and he threw his arms up into the air as the sound suffocated him.

"Akiba! Akiba!" The people chanted, as confetti rained down onto them from the balcony. Those that could touch it hopped around in ecstasy. It was the day of the Partnership; the Cyalinthian Festival of Unity. During the Parnership, many of Cyalinth's generals join in great feasts; often concluding in orgies and parties.

"Cyalinth! Raise your voices to the sky, that all who oppose us might hear and shake in terror!" Akiba yelled to the masses, and braced himself for their thunderous reply.

The balcony shook as Rah Lough's crowds chanted in unison; an ancient hymn that had been passed down through the centuries, long before any of them were born.

Akiba began to realize something as he gripped the railing of the balcony for support. These people were ready to fight now; they were excited, stupid. They were his countrymen, yes, but stupid; blindly following him.

"My people! Lend me your ears! There are those among you who know that of which I will speak about, and those who do not. But, as your leader, it is my duty to keep all of you informed of our great planet's dealings, as you are all honorable members of society."

The crowd shouted their approval.

"The Grand Cornerian Empire; a nation from far away, sends word to us every day. They want us to join them, to give up OUR independence for gold and guns!"

The city booed.

"Will we allow this to happen? Will we allow these imperialists to come to our great nation and claim ownership?"

The booing and hissing intensified among the citizens.

"Tonight, we feast, but tomorrow, we straight make head!" Akiba threw his fist into the air, as the chanting of his name began once more.

"Akiba! Akiba!"

It was at this moment that the first Cornerian cruiser blinked into view; in orbit around Cyalinth.

…

"Hey Slip, what do you think about this?" Falco said, holding up his blaster. He had been working on it for several hours.

"Well, what'd you do to it? Looks the same to me…" Slippy said, confused.

"Whatddya mean it looks the same? It looks like a whole new gun!"

"Well…ah, screw it. What'd you change?" Slippy said, eager to stay away from a fight.

"Man, screw you….looks completely different…." Falco said, turning back to his work. Slippy let out a sigh of relief as Fox McCloud walked through the titanium doors of the Great Fox Command Center.

"There's nothing to do!" Fox said, obviously frustrated.

"Well, there's SOMEONE you could do…" Falco muttered, snickering to himself.

"Knock it off, Falco." Fox replied, blushing.

"What? It's cute…" Falco said, still laughing like an idiot.

"Whatever… any missions come in?"

"Nope." Slippy sighed.

"Nada." Falco retaliated.

The Star Fox team sat there in idle boredom for a few hours, having short little conversations here and there. Finally, after some time, Fox stood up and headed back to his quarters.

Krystal knocked on his door.

The two of them had met a few years ago; back when Fox was 19 on Sauria. He was 24 now, and she was 22. The two had fallen in love very quickly; it took practically no time. Still, that didn't change anything. Fox still acted like a nervous wreck around Krystal, and Krystal took advantage of it; bending his mind in ways he didn't think it could be bent.

"Hey," Fox said, holding her around the waist and kissing her quickly. "What's up?"

"I just wanted to see you. Do you have time?"

"Yeah, sure. Not much to do these days…." Fox said, opening the door and allowing her to enter. He sounded tired.

"Are you alright?" Krystal asked, sitting down on the bed.

"I'm fine." Fox said, his eyelids drooping.

"No you're not…what's wrong?"

"I'm tired, that's all." Fox sat down on the bed as well.

"Of?" Krystal asked, placing her hands on top of his.

"I don't know… something seems…off. Like things aren't the way they're supposed to be." Fox sighed.

"I'm sure everything will be fine. Now, lie down and get some rest; you look terrible." she joked. Krystal pushed his back down into the bed and lay her head on his chest. The two fell asleep almost instantaneously.

**And the romance is back! There's going to be a lot of those little, short Fox/ Krystal scenes, for all my romantic fans out there. The story's really going to pick up soon, so stay tuned! Reviews and favorites are always appreciated!**

**-ThatWinchieGuy**


	3. A Simple Mission

"Hey Fox? Hey, get up, there's some sort of transmission coming through." Slippy said, knocking heavily on Fox's door. Krystal shot up from his chest, awaking quickly Fox just lie prostrate, sleeping away his troubles. She had to respond, but she'd rather avoid the awkward and sexual jokes that were bound to come if she was discovered.

"Yeah," she said, in a very shoddy attempt to impersonate Fox's voice.

"Oh, you two are just adorable…." Slippy said, like a mother talking to her child.

"Oh shut it Slip…I'll get him up." Krystal said.

_Dammit._

"Fox? Fox get up, Slippy wants you to go check out some transmission."

Fox rustled underneath the covers, twisting and groaning.

"Just gimme a sec…."

"No, go now, come on. Up!" Krystal said, lifting him up by the shoulders and sliding his feet over the edge of the bed.

"Just when I was getting to the good part…" Fox mumbled.

"Of what?" she asked, placing her hands on his shoulders, massaging them.

"The dream."

"Well…what was it about?" Krystal, of course, knew what it was about, since she could read his mind and see his dreams. She tried not to give the dream too much attention.

"You and me… what else? All my dreams are either about dad or about you..." This was one of those rare moments where Fox seemed very confident near her.

"What happened in it?" She said, leaning her head in closer to his shoulder as she continued to massage them.

"It was kind of like Sauria… only you saved me. I think it's some sort of metaphor, or something." Fox reached over his shoulder and ran his hand through Krystal's hair.

"I hope you were wearing that loincloth." She whispered into his ear.

Fox stepped away, throwing on a shirt, and sputtering out the door.

"Uhm…I uh…I'm not going to answer that.. I mean, I don't know…dammit Krystal…"

Krystal just laughed and fell back into the bed.

"I love you, you know! Really, I do!" Krystal called after him

"Yeah, yeah, I love you too…" Fox replied, his voice being lost in the hallways.

…..

"Okay, Slip, now that you've thoroughly embarrassed me… Who's the transmission from?" Fox said, striding into the Command Center.

"General Pepper; might be another big one." Slippy tapped away at his keyboard.

"Really? Interesting…bring him up on the monitor." Fox said, sliding into the Commander's Chair.

The hologram projector buzzed and whirred, bringing the translucent General Pepper to life.

"Greetings, Star Fox. I've got a mission for you." General Pepper had become much more formal after the founding of the Empire.

"Well, we'd be happy to take it. What've you got?"

General Pepper's hologram swiped it's hand in the air, bringing up map of a system Fox was unfamiliar with.

"The Ryplar System; all under Cornerian control." General Pepper said proudly. His hologram opened it's fist, zooming into a particular planet.

"Cyalinth; only rebellious planet in the system." He zoomed in even further, revealing a live video feed of a falcon preaching to a city, throwing his hands up to the sky.

"This is Akiba; leader of the Cyalinthians. He is your target." Fox watched the falcon. He seemed…off. Something wasn't right about him. Apparently this discomfort showed in Fox's facial reaction.

"He's quite the crazy little savage. Or, so I've been told. You kill him, and Cyalinth falls. It'll be done in a week; quick and easy, Fox."

"What are we talking about in terms of payment?" Fox asked. This was work, after all.

"286 Million." General Pepper quickly replied, as if he expected Fox to ask him.

"Works for me. Send me the waypoints and maps and we'll be off. Star Fox, out." Fox said, clicking off the communicator and beginning preparations to warp.

It seemed so easy.

…..

"Sir, Corvette Hiba Drumar and Frigate Gah Dunlak are both down." Mehlehk said. The Cornerians had disrespected Cyalinth for the last time; attacking during a planetary holiday!

"Open fire on their frigates. I want those down before all else." Akiba sat calm and collected, watching the battle unfold from his flagship.

"Sir, I think a retreat is…"

"Not an option. I will not hear of this cowardice, Mehlehk. Open fire on the frigates, move the boarding parties into position. I want bombers keeping that dreadnaught in check." Akiba was a man right at home.

"Boarder Jah Bahlough is down."

"Replace it." Akiba snapped.

"Sir… there's nothing to replace it with. We're all out of ships…." Mehlehk whimpered.

"Hmmm…." Akiba tapped his foot on the steel of the Command Center, weighing his options.

"Prep my ship for evac. We're ramming them."

"Wha-What!?"

"Must I repeat myself?"

"Sir, that's….that's crazy!"

"Mehlehk, this one's lost. We must do as much damage as we can to their fleet and buy my armies time. Pilots, ramming speed."

Akiba strode out the door, checking multiple status updates on his communicator as he moved to evacuation.

Mehlehk plodded after him.

"Sir, we should not…"

"Open a communications channel; direct link to their flagship."

General Pepper's face appeared in Akiba's Heads-Up Display.

"Akiba…to what do I owe the pleasure?"

Akiba's face remained as stone does; unmoving and hard. He stared straight through the communications screen and into General Pepper's soul; his beady eyes blinking rapidly, twitching.

"I am your end. Gaze upon me, for it will be the last face you shall ever see as life drains from your twisted and dark veins." Akiba said, his stare stagnant. He disconnected the channel, and continued walked, breathing heavily.

"Sir, that transmitted to every channel in the Cornerian Fleet…." Mehlehk said, obvious of Akiba's tampering.

Akiba stopped in his tracks and looked at Mehlehk with his malicious eyes.

"I know. Theirs is not a just war, and they will perish because of it."


	4. Ramming Speed

"Captain, do you see this?" General Pepper asked, sitting aboard his flagship. He was pointing to his tactical map; his finger placed above the virtual representation of Akiba's flagship, which was rapidly picking up speed.

"It's…it's flying straight for us, General."

"That's what I see as well. Get the main guns online; we're blowing this sucker up before it even gets the chance."

The gunnery officers began rapidly flipping switches, pressing buttons, pulling levers. Nobody knew why someone would sacrifice their flagship so easily; it made no sense at all. Yet here was Akiba, his engines thrusting him to ramming speed. It seemed too good to be true.

Perhaps their unpreparedness would be their downfall.

…

Akiba drifted in his small, one man fighter, watching as explosions sent chunks of both flagships flying in each direction through space. It was really quite a spectacle to behold; the glory of red and orange flames spraying from the ship of the enemy. Still…there were many casualties. No matter; Akiba still had his armies, and that was all he needed.

"Mehlehk? Mehlehk, can you hear me?" Akiba asked, speaking into the static of his decimated communications channels.

"I….sir! It's ….Mehlehk!" The voice came through, garbled.

"Get to Rah Lough. I will meet you there. Akiba, out."

Why did the Cornerians have to do this? They could have moved on and let Cyalinth be itself. But those greedy imperialists had to have everything, didn't they? This was why Akiba would kill them all. Freedom and democracy were far more important to him than any golden coin or Cornerian dollar.

But how to do it? How could he use his talents, his countrymen and his assets to defeat such a grand enemy? There had to be some way to single-handedly decimate their spirits. He had to appear grander than he was.

Akiba was good at this.

…

"This is Star Fox, approaching Cya…." Fox paused as the Great Fox blinked into view.

"Fox?" Peppy asked, not looking up from his computer. Fox just sat there, his mouth agape, taking in the devastation.

"Fox, are you al….holy hell…." Peppy gasped, finally looking up.

Small fighters weaved in and out of the wreckage of frigates, corvettes, and, finally, the General's Flagship. Tiny dogfights broke out here and there, always declaring a winner within two or three seconds. Explosions went off in the distance, muffled by the emptiness of space.

"This is Fox McCloud, leader of the Star Fox team, can anybody hear me?!" Fox yelled into the mic. Static answered him.

The communications channel fizzled and popped. Connection. Fox could hear heavy breathing on the other end.

"…I….can…."

And then the dissatisfying sound of a connection lost. Who was that person? They didn't sound injured…perhaps they could explain.

"Come again! Come again!" Fox yelled fruitlessly into the mic. No response.

"Slippy, open up that channel again! Quick!"

"Fox…it's gone. Like it was never there…." Slippy said, his voice trailing away.

"Who was that?"

…

Akiba dropped from his cockpit and into the warm sands of home. His feet plodded through the dunes, walking the short distance to the docks.

"Welcome back, sir." A recruit saluted him, his eyes flashing back and forth nervously.

"Mhmmm…." Akiba grumbled in reply, angry at himself for Cyalinth's defeat. Not only was his fleet completely decimated, but some team had come to aid the Cornerians, and they looked professional. Star…something?

He had heard their desperate pleas for help and attempted to scare them off by being mysterious; evidently it didn't work, since their dreadnaught-class warship still sat in orbit; visible from Rah Lough's docks on the surface.

After some time, Akiba found himself back in the palace. He waited there for a few hours, longing for the arrival of Mehlehk. He didn't come. This made Akiba very anxious. Sure, Mehlehk was a bit of a coward and not really suited to the job he had chosen to take up, but he was Akiba's best friend. Should anything have happened to him, Akiba didn't know what he would do. One could say Mehlehk was Akiba's ONLY friend.

…..

"Akiba! Akiba! Come quickly! It's your father!"

Akiba's tiny feet plodded through the sand. It was raining heavily; a rare occasion on Cyalinth. Akiba followed the voice; a voice he knew well. He ran and ran, following.

"Come, Akiba! Fast!"

It was Mehlehk, his best friend since birth.

"Quickly! Run!"

The two children came to a halting stop in a large plaza, where sirens rang out and lights blared. Akiba's father was struggling with two other men, desperately trying to escape their grasp. Akiba's uncle held his mother back, pulling her away from the fighting. Akiba's father took a heavy blow to the head from a nightstick and collapsed. The two men pulled his limp body into the car with ringing sirens and blaring lights.

Akiba chased after them as the two men got into the car.

"That's my dad! No! Don't take him! Stop!"

He smashed his fists furiously on the window of the car, unable to break it.

"Stop! Stop!"

The car pulled off into the night, leaving Akiba and Mehlehk alone in the wet and dirty streets.

Akiba sat there crying for hours, with Mehlehk at his side, not saying a word.

…..

"Well…what now?" Slippy asked, looking out the window.

"We find out all we can. It doesn't look like they took out the entire Cornerian Fleet… Slippy, try to get me a connection to General Pepper."

Slippy tapped away on his keyboard searching.

"I think I've found him!" He squealed, tapping one more key.

"General Pepper?" Fox asked.

"Oh…..urgh… I'm here, Fox. I read you." General Pepper groaned, obviously very injured.

"Can you give me a location, General?"

"Flagship….hangar bay."

"I'm on my way!"

Fox recovered General Pepper and brought him back to the Great Fox for medical attention. Whilst General was being prepped for surgery, Fox asked about the battle. General Pepper explained the ramming and Akiba's cryptic message.

"Interesting…okay, they're going to put you under now, General. Thank you for the information." Fox walked out of the medical bay and back towards the Command Center.

As he walked through the hallways, Peppy contacted him.

"Fox, there's and unidentified vessel approaching us. It's a single-man fighter."

"Bring it in, I'll move to the hangar to intercept it's pilot."

Fox diverted his course and began walking to the hangar, his hand hovering tentatively over his blaster's holster.

…..

Fox held his gun to the cockpit, which was shaded a dark blue color. He couldn't tell who or what was inside.

Suddenly, the cockpit lifted. Nobody came out.

"Come out with your hands up! Don't do anything stupid!" Fox yelled out, a few yards away from the ship, his blaster trained on the cockpit.

A small bird lifted his head out of the cockpit, his lower lip quivering violently.

"Get out." Fox ordered. The bird obeyed.

He was a shorter fellow, and obviously not a fighter. What was he doing out here?

"What is your name?" Fox asked, his blaster ready to fire at a moment's notice.

"Meh….Mehlehk…."


	5. War Rages

"So, Mehlehk, was it?" Falco asked his fellow avian, who was handcuffed to the small jail cell in the Great Fox's lower decks.

"Ye- yes…." He sobbed.

"Chill, buddy. I'm not going to hurt you. Yet." Falco said. He liked being menacing, and especially getting paid to be menacing.

"Yet?!"

"Just tell me what I ask and I won't hurt you." Falco stayed in the shadows, so that Mehlehk couldn't see his face.

"What DO you want?" Mehlehk shook violently, rattling his handcuffs on the steel bars.

"I want you to tell me about this Akiba fellow. Everything you know."

"He's a great man. You won't stop him."

"What's he planning? Tell me." Falco cracked his knuckles, still guised by the darkness.

"I don't know, he doesn't tell me anything anymore!"

"So he's told you stuff in the past?" Falco grinned, unbeknownst to Mehlehk.

"I…uhm…no?"

"What has he told you?"

"Look, I'm just an advisor. He doesn't tell me anything, just please, leave me alone!" Mehlehk fell to the floor in a puddle of his own tears.

"That'll do, Mehlehk." Falco walked out, and slammed the door shut.

…..

"He knows something." Falco said, practically jogging into the Command Center.

"Like what?" Fox asked, looking over multiple simulations, trying to figure out what happened to the fleet.

"I don't know, but he's an advisor to this Akiba creep. If anybody knows anything, it's him."

"Well why didn't you figure it out?"

"He started cryin' before I could! He's very sensitive…haha…" Falco snickered.

"We'll work on it." Fox said, retreating to his quarters. Everybody else did the same.

Fox sat alone for some time, thinking. These Cyalinthians-although their navy was completely decimated- should not be underestimated, lest the mission blow up into epic proportions as Sauria's mission did. Fox didn't want to fight for that long, or worse…find another girl. Fox chuckled at this thought; finding a girl on such a faraway planet with such a different culture seemed so strange…then he chuckled again, reminding himself that the person he was currently falling madly in love with fit that description.

….

"Where is Mehlehk?" Akiba asked, now fully situated back at home.

"I can't tell sir, we lost his signal amongst the rubble…"

"Find him!" Akiba snapped, almost worriedly.

"Sir, I can't…."

"Do it! Now! We need him!"

"Sir, calm down, we'll find him…" the officer said, tapping away violently at his console, narrowly dodging unemployment with each word he said.

"I'm leaving. Tell me the second you learn anything about his whereabouts." Akiba huffed, stomping his way through the door.

…

War raged. Battles were won and lost, young men shed their blood for their nations. Cyalinth's armies became increasingly aggressive as Corneria closed in on their capital. The war came to a stalemate; deadlocked outside of Rah Lough's borders, where the desert air smelled of rotting flesh and charred meat.

Meanwhile, Star Fox kept Mehlehk in custody; unable to wrench the secrets from him. And, at the same time, Akiba's top officials ruthlessly searched for him.

They could only hide him for so long.

…..

"Sir, I think I've got something." An officer said in disbelief.

Akiba ran to the monitor in ecstasy.

" Where?!"

"Aboard the Great Fox. I've captured a faint audio clip that directly matches Mehlehk's voice. Here, I'll play it over for you. It appears this mercenary team is torturing him in some way…"

Akiba's face contorted into a grimace at the thought. He watched the audio bars go up and down at the sound of each syllable.

"So..will you tell me now, buddy?"

"I don't know anything, please!"

"You've been here for days…come on, man. Just tell me and we'll let you go. It's so easy."

"I'm not telling you shit!"

And then the clip became inaudible, and the voices unrecognizable. Akiba leapt up slightly in joy.

"It's him! That's him!"

"Should I send out a search party, sir?"

Akiba suddenly became serious, blinking rapidly.

"No. Something better…" He smirked.

…..

"Fox, there's something coming at us, I think." Peppy said, squinting as he stared at the radar.

Fox snapped back into reality, as he was staring at the yellowish tint of Cyalinth's surface.

"Yes? Oh, let me see."

And, indeed, it did appear that something was moving towards them. Something small, but still something.

"What the hell is that?"

Fox's head smashed into the ceiling, spilling blood everywhere, as the dreadnaught lurched under the force of a nuclear explosion.


	6. New Developments

_Urrrhhh…. Ohh…_

"Peppy?!"

"Krystal?!"

Fox crawled around in agony; the darkness and silence of space enveloping him. What the hell happened?

"Falco?!"

"Slippy?!"

Fox cried out to his team; greeted only by the echo of his own voice down the dreadnaught's halls.

"Fox! Fox! I'm here buddy!" It was Falco. He sounded uninjured, but you could never really tell with Falco. Always so calm and collected…

Falco ran up to Fox, with a large crack running down the side of his beak. He extended his hand out to Fox-who took it- and picked him up off of the floor.

"Falco, go find Slippy and Peppy. I'm going to go look for Krystal. Call me if anything happens." Fox said, limping off. Falco ran, since his legs were unscathed.

"Krystal!" He yelled, hobbling through the hallways.

"Krystal!"

"Fox! Fox! In the living room, hurry!" She yelled back. She sounded hurt.

Fox's adrenaline immediately picked up, forcing him into a lopsided jog. He couldn't let her die; not like this.

Fox leaned on the wall as he ran through the titanium door- now sparking with electricity- and frantically scanned the room for Krystal. She was pinned to the wall by a table and the fridge; her blue fur barely visible behind it. What was visible, however, was the blood splattered on the wall. Fox could only hope faintly that she wasn't hurt too seriously.

"Fox, hurry! They're here!"

Fox groaned under the effort of sliding the fridge to the side.

"What?" He yelped, a sharp pain snagging his back.

"Akiba! He's on the ship!"

"Are you sure?"

"Yes, absolutely! We have to go! Where's the rest of the team?"

Fox freed Krystal from the wall, throwing the fridge to the floor.

"Falco's beak is busted but I think he'll be fine. I lost Peppy after the explosion; I don't know where Slippy is. Can you run?" Fox said, looking her over.

"I think so. We have to find the rest of the team and get to the Arwings."

"Got it." Fox said, opening a comms channel to Falco.

"Falco! Falco, do you hear me?"

"Yeah, loud and clear." His tone sounded grave.

"Did you find them?"

"Yeah… Peppy's fine; rattled, but fine. Where to now?"

"What about Slippy?"

There was a silence between the two of them… one that could only mean one thing.

"He….he didn't make it, Fox. I'd rather not say how I found him."

Fox's mind quickly descended into a puddle of despair…this couldn't be real, could it?

"Akiba is on the ship. Get to the Arwings, and move quietly. We have to leave; we'll mourn him later."

Fox could sense Krystal's desperation as well.

…

Akiba slammed his foot into the titanium door; smashing through the large crack in it. Soldiers followed him into the room, assault rifles trained on every corner.

"There. Get him up." He ordered.

The soldiers smashed their rifle butts into Mehlehk's shackles, snapping them in two.

"Sir! You came to save me?" Mehlehk asked, frightened by the explosion, which had hit on the other side of the ship in order to spare him.

"Of course, my friend. We must leave; the structural intergrity of this ship is quite weak."

"Yes, sir."

The Cyalinthians quickly made their way to the hangar to intercept any people trying to escape.

…

"Fox, holy shit, are you alright?" Krystal said, her pace slowing. She obviously noticed the paleness in Fox's face.

"Yeah…I'm fine…" he mumbled, barely audible.

"Fox, no you're not, you're bleeding everywhere!" She said, finally noticing how badly injured he really was. It was hard to see in this light; this darkness.

Fox had a large gash running down his face, narrowly missing his eye. His right arm was also gushing blood rapidly, and his left arm showed signs of severe burning. His ankle looked as though it was ready to snap in half, and a large piece of glass protruded from his left thigh.

Fox looked down, finally noticed how close he was to death. He could practically smell it…taste it…feel it…

"Well… I guess it's time for you to pay me back, then." He said, grinning through the pain, then blacking out and falling face first into the floor.

…

**Oh, it's getting dire now. If you enjoyed, leave a review or maybe even a favorite/ follow. Thanks for your support.**

**-ThatWinchieGuy**


	7. The Useful Friend

Fox attempted to grimace in pain, but couldn't. He could feel the sensation of it, just not the actual grimace. Krystal wiped sweat from his brow with a cool cloth, sitting over him and smiling gently. He could not see all of her face.

"Are you alright?" He asked, as his neurons exploded in pain.

"Shh…. There is a large gash running down your face; you need to be careful speaking, lest you tear it open again. The doctors just finished sewing it up." Krystal said, rubbing his neck and continuing with the cloth. "Yes, I'm alright. Just be quiet….you know I can hear you anyways."

_Is Falco alright?_

"Yes, He's fine; his split beak is healing well."

_Can he talk?_

"Yes, but…I know what you're going to ask him. He refuses to talk about it." Krystal said, looking out the window.

_Hmm… where are we?_

"Cornerian Forward Military Outpost, or CFMO as the 'locals' call it. It's about 300 miles from the Cyalinthian capital of Rah Lough." Krystal said, looking back down at him. "You really beat the crap out of yourself back there. I thought you were dead." Krystal said, her face turning into a sort of grin-frown; that odd gesture one does to display melancholy and joy at the same time.

_I'm sorry… it wasn't really in my control. Any idea of when I'll recover?_

"A couple weeks or so; General Pepper's paying for the utmost care for us, especially after losing the fleet. We're all he's got left."

_Damn… how's the war going?_

"Not great, but not bad. Seems like there's a stalemate not far from here; both armies are really digging in for a fight."

_Has Akiba shown himself at all?_

"Not to me personally, no. But there are reports that Akiba fights alongside his troops, often rushing in holding primed grenades and armed to the teeth with knives. The man's a complete lunatic."

_So he should be easy to kill then._

"I wouldn't be so sure. He did kill Slippy and nearly killed you and Falco. We should be more cautious; there's no telling what he's planning."

_I….I need to talk to Falco. Can you get him for me?_

"Sure." She said, kissing him on the only part of his head that didn't scream.

….

Falco walked in a few minutes later, frowning and looking at his feet.

"I know what you want, Fox. And I know Krystal's told you that I haven't talk about it yet. Well, I've decided that I'll tell you, because- even with all my trust for the others- I trust you the most."

Fox nodded and braced himself for the dark story.

"I found Slippy in his room, completely battered up. Hell, I thought he was dead when I first saw him. He told me that he wasn't going to make it- which was obvious- and that he had something to say to each of us. He told me that he always liked me, even though I treated him like shit, and asked that I tell Amanda. I haven't yet…anyways, He told Krystal that you and her are going to be great together, and he told Peppy that his wisdom was always appreciated and valued. And then, he told me to tell you this; you were really the first person to ever believe in him. The first person that told him he could be more than some grimy nerd in his dad's basement. Star Fox was the best thing that ever happened to him, and, now that he was dying for it, it was even better. It was something he was willing to die for. He was willing to die for each of us, man. That's rough…" Falco cut himself off with a slight sniffle. He never cried. Ever. And it was weird that Slippy's death would do such a thing to him; he never seemed to really like Slippy. Perhaps there was more to their relationship.

"He said that we needed to win, so that his death wouldn't be in vain, and that he wanted us to stop after Akiba is dead. He didn't want to see us up there anytime soon. Those were his last words; for us to live well, Fox."

The two of them sat there in awkward silence, despite the fact that Fox couldn't have responded even if he wanted to.

….

"Mehlehk, did you tell them anything?" Akiba asked, preparing for the night.

"Nothing. I would never betray you, and you know that."

"Yes, I know, but every precaution must be taken in this war. We are fighting a losing battle as of now, but I am determined to turn the tide. My scouts found a dead body aboard the Great Fox, presumably one of the members of the team. We're already beginning, my friend."

"That is good, sir." Mehlehk said, assisting Akiba.

"You are such a good friend to me; to keep my secrets even under physical duress. I promise that, should I live, I'll continue to return the favor." Akiba said, looking himself over in the mirror.

"Don't speak like that, sir! I know you'll make it through this; we all will." Mehlehk said, placing his hands on Akiba's shoulders.

"You know we mustn't do anything of this sort outside of the Partnership, despite how much we both might want to." Akiba smiled, sliding Mehlehk's hands off of him.

"I'm sorry, it's just good to be home, that's all."

"And it is good to have you home…but now, we must sleep. Good night, Mehlehk; I shall see you at the sun's awakening."

"Good night, sir." Mehlehk said, hobbling off to his own quarters reluctantly.

…


	8. The Bigger They Are

Fox limped through the hallways of the CFMO's medical wing, his mind set on Falco's room. Although Falco was grieving, he was still Fox's ace pilot and a member of Star Fox; he needed to be present at a certain meeting pertaining to the assault on Rah Lough. Fox, however, didn't know how Falco would take the invitation. It could go one of two ways; Falco would either instantly fly into a fit of rage about how Star Fox shouldn't be fighting anymore now that Slippy was gone, or he would fly into a different fit of rage, shouting about how Akiba's innards should be ripped out and spread across the walls.

Fox leaned against the door, tired from the short trip. He knocked gingerly on the door, and, after a few moments, Falco opened it and motioned him in.

"Hey," Fox began," I know you might not like this, but, whatever; there's a meeting tonight concerning the attack on Rah Lough. General Pepper wants all members of Star Fox to be there."

"Well, ALL of us can't attend." Falco said, looking out the window into the dunes.

"Falco, I know you're upset about Slippy, I am too, but….."

"He was just a kid, Fox. He didn't deserve that. And we should take the time to pay respect."

"We gotta focus on this war, otherwise we'll all die." Fox pleaded. Truth be told, he was shaken up about Slippy's death, but he never, EVER let things get to him until after the mission was completed. Falco was usually the same way; obviously he wasn't right now.

"Fox, either we kill this sucker in the most brutal way possible or we pull out. I'm not faltering on this; I want him dead." Falco whispered, his gaze still fixed on the desert outside.

"That's why we're having this meeting."

"Yeah…."

There was a moment's silence between them.

"I'll be there. I won't be happy, but I'll be there." Falco finally said.

"Alright… I'm sorry, Falco."

"Don't be. You're only doing your job; just like Slip was."

….

Krystal walked slowly with Fox towards the CFMO's Command Center.

"How're you feeling?" she asked.

"Better, but walking is hard. At least I can talk now." Fox said, smiling and taking her hand. He liked it when nobody was around, when it was just the two of them. It made him feel so alive, so different. Maybe it was because he could let go of his discipline with her; he could act like he was when his father was alive and life was so much easier.

"I'm glad…" Krystal said, frowning.

"What's the matter?" Fox asked.

"It's Slippy… I can still hear his thoughts, it just… brings back bad memories."

"Like back at home?"

"Yes…."

"I'm sorry I brought it up." Fox apologized.

The couple continued walking; Krystal slowed her pace as Fox's injured legs became more and more weary.

"I hate leg injuries… always so cumbersome…" Fox moaned.

"You really are walking slowly…"

"Hey!"

"What? You are!"

"Uhg… it's not like I could chase after you anyways. You can get away with whatever you want now."

"Oh, and I can't all the time?"

"Well, that's not really…"

"What about when I first came aboard the Great Fox?"

"Krystal, I…"

"Or that one time when you were teaching me how to fly an Arwing?" Krystal jeered, laughing.

"Oh… uh… yeah…"

"See? I know you!"

"And that's why I love you." Fox said, finally coming under control.

"Oh you are too cute…." Krystal said, picking up her pace slightly.

….

"Welcome, sir; ma'am." A cadet saluted Fox and Krystal. Fox returned the best, charred forearmed salute he could.

Falco and Peppy had already arrived. The rest of the Cornerian Fleet's top generals and admirals were there as well.

In the center of the room was a large hologram display of a city; Fox could only assume that the map was of Rah Lough. The seats were circled around it like an amphitheater, and a small podium was erected opposite the seats. Along the walls, hundreds of computer screens shimmered and displayed data. Every 5 feet or so, a person would sit, rapidly tapping buttons and switching levers back and forth. It was a miracle that they were able to build this room in such a short time, let alone the entire base.

"Gentlemen," General Pepper began, "The city of Rah Lough is a virtual fortress. Akiba has barricaded each wall of the city, along with moving a large amount of artillery to the west side, which would normally be weaker. If any of you have any ideas, speak now."

"What do they have in terms of anti- air defense?" Fox asked.

General Pepper zoomed in on one of the walls of the city.

"16 flak cannons on each wall; another 4, 40mm cannons for those that get to close."

"So an air raid is out of the question unless those guns are taken out?" Fox asked.

"Well, the flak can be compensated for. It's those 40mm automatics that will really bugger us up."

"So, should we take out those 40mm's, we could run a full on assault on the city?"

"Seems to look that way, Fox."

"Alright; once we're in full condition, I am putting my team up for the sabotage mission on those 40mm's."

"Are you sure, Fox? That's a bit of a big job for a four… three person team." It was so strange not having Slippy around anymore.

"We'd need another man to help us. Can you recommend anybody?"

"I've got a man. Sergeant England; runs a small Orbital Drop Special Operations squad by the name of The Runners. He's a good worker; does what he's told, and efficiently." General Pepper said, bringing up Sergeant England's face on the hologram.

"I want to meet him and his team if I'll be working with them."

"When will your recovery be complete?" General Pepper asked.

"Two weeks tops. Set the time, and set up a meeting with The Runners. I'll take care of mission details, General." Fox said, motioning his team out the door.


	9. Such a Simple Mission

The helicopter rocketed through the air, inches away from the ground. One could reach their hand out and have it slap across a cactus or maybe even some form of animal. The night air whipped through the hold of the helicopter as it's doors slid open.

"England, this is your drop." Fox said over the channel; his helmet made hearing difficult, but it also hid him from heartbeat sensors and heat sensors.

"Roger. Dropping in three. Two. One." Sergeant England leapt from the helicopter and onto the ground, rolling to slow his forward momentum. "I'm on the ground; moving to intercept first cannon."

"Copy that. Meet us at the evac point when the charges are set." Fox said. "Falco, you're next. ETA 30 seconds to drop point."

"Got it." Falco said, sliding his helmet on.

"20 seconds." The pilot said.

"10."

"Dropping in three. Two. One." Falco said, his actions identical to Sergeant England. "I'm grounded."

"Copy." Fox said, taking his hand off his microphone. "Krys, stay safe out there."

"I always do."

"ETA 20 seconds." The pilot butted in.

"Mind your leg, Fox." Krystal said.

"Got it. Good luck."

"Dropping in three. Two. One." Krystal's jump was far more graceful than Falco and England's….more feminine, but just as effective. "Good to go."

"Copy. Fox out."

"ETA 30 seconds to final drop point." The pilot said.

"Got it. Hover around the city until I call for evac." Fox said.

"Roger that. 20 seconds. 10. 5."

"Dropping." Fox said, copying his teammates and leaping out into the cool sand underneath Rah Lough's South wall. Fox stood up, checking his surroundings. All clear. He took two small icepicks from his belt, digging them into the wall, and climbed up. His leg had not fully healed, and Fox panted as he reached the top, despite rigorous conditioning and training for this night.

"England, what's your status?" Fox asked over the communications channel.

"First charge set; moving on the second one."

"Copy. Team, deadly force is authorized. Keep it quiet."

The walls of Rah Lough were packed with all kinds of military equipment; guns, crates, flak cannons, howitzers, grenade launchers, sniper nests. It was a miracle that all of it was unguarded; especially around the 40mm guns. Something seemed wrong; Akiba was a savage, but he wasn't stupid. Nobody would leave their biggest asset so open. Fox kept his guard up.

"This is Falco; first charge set."

"Krystal here; first one set as well."

"I'm moving on my first cannon. Stay sharp." Fox said.

Fox took out the small explosive; a modified version of C4 that, when detonated, would take half of the wall with it. When the guns were gone, the Cornerian Army would launch a full scale assault on Rah Lough, killing Akiba and taking over the planet. This war would be over in a matter of hours, Star Fox could get their paycheck and return home, finally able to grieve the loss of a dear friend.

The C4 made a satisfying click as it connected itself to the barrel of the cannon. Fox turned around, moving on to the next one. The path to the other two cannons was unguarded as well.

"This is Fox; moving on my last cannon."

"Heading to the evac point now." Falco said.

"Setting the last charge as we speak." Krystal said.

"England, status update." Fox ordered. Nothing came through. Perhaps there was a break in the line.

"England, status."

Nothing.

"He's not here anymore, Star Fox. You shouldn't be here either, especially with that leg." An unknown voice ran through the channel, chilling the blood of the remaining three Star Fox members.

"Akiba." Fox said.

"That's correct. Now; I want you to turn around and drop your gun. If it is still in your hand in three seconds, I will blow your brains all over this wall you're trying so desperately to muck up."

Fox slowly placed the sub machine gun on the ground, putting his hands up.

"Good. Turn around." Akiba said.

Fox turned around and got his first glimpse at Akiba in person.

He was a grey feathered avian, a bit taller than him, and thin for his size. He was young for a leader; probably about 37, and his face was drooping and dark. Red tattoos lined his forearms, each depicting a symbol that Fox could only assume was Cyalinthian writing. Akiba's hand shook rapidly as he held a pistol to Fox's face, inches away from his nose. How Akiba had snuck up on him, Fox could not tell. One could feel the rage emanating off him.

Akiba tore the helmet off Fox's head and threw it to the floor. Akiba then threw Sergeant England's helmet next to it, all the while keeping the gun trained on the bridge of Fox's nose.

"Let us converse." Akiba said.

"Let's."

"Why have you come here? Why do you want to kill me?" Akiba asked.

"I was contracted." Fox said.

"So you are doing this for pay?"

"Correct."

Akiba smashed the gun against Fox's face, sending him reeling backwards. Akiba pinned Fox to the wall by the neck, keeping the gun's barrel to Fox's head.

"You would wipe out an entire nation for money?"

"That is my job."

Akiba hit him again.

"This is why I killed your friend. Because you would seek to kill all of mine. I am just smart enough to act first, before I suffer the losses."

"You killed him because you want all Cornerians dead."

"False! I tried to kill your team not through hate for Corneria, but for love of Cyalinth. What you and your people are doing is criminal! You want to enslave us for personal gain!"

"That isn't true." Fox yelped, gasping for air.

Akiba hit him once more.

"That's a lie!" Akiba yelled, his saliva spraying from his mouth in anger. "You just mentioned that you do this for money!"

As Akiba yelled, about to pull the trigger, explosions went off in the distance; Falco and Krystal had detonated their charges, and would probably be at the evac point.

Akiba's grip loosened as he looked at the explosions. Fox took this time to escape. He punched Akiba in the gut, causing him to release his grip on Fox's neck. As Akiba recovered, Fox sprinted for his helmet, dashing behind a crate as he grabbed it. He was still unarmed.

"Come out, Fox! Let me 'do my job'!" Akiba yelled sarcastically, firing at the crate.

Behind Fox was a short railing, and then a fifty foot drop into the city below. Fox looked around for a distraction. He picked up a rock and threw it at Akiba. The rock hit him in the nose, drawing blood. Fox leapt off the wall, clutching at the building 10 feet below him.

He pulled himself over it's sandy parapet and ran across it's roof.

Akiba shot at him, narrowly missing Fox's head.

"You will die! All those who fight for the wrong cause will die!" Akiba shouted from the wall. Fox could hear the gun firing as he dropped into the street and sprinted to the evac point.


	10. Evac

_Holy crap. Holy crap. Holy crap._

Fox sprinted through the narrow streets of Rah Lough, passing by hundreds of Cyalinthians, who crowded the streets even at night. A few angry, larger men starter chasing him, on the terms that he was the enemy and they could do their part for their nation's pride and safety.

"This is Fox; Krystal, Falco, can you hear me?" Fox shouted, panting.

Fox could hear the sounds of war over the mic.

"Holy shit, you're alive?" Falco yelled, then grunted, popping up to fire and push the Cyalinthians back.

"Where are you guys?"

"Evac point! Krystal and I are pinned, we've got three on the rooftops and four coming at us from the ground! Shit…!"

"Falco?!"

"I'm good! They're comin'! Can you get onto the rooftops on the west side of the evac point?"

"Yeah, but I haven't got a weapon!"

"Get one! You mother…" Static.

Fox's heart was bursting, his leg shot electricity through his muscles. Fox climbed the ladder and heard the sounds of the gunfight below. He'd ended up behind one of the Cyalinthian soldiers on the roof. Fox came up behind him and kicked him in small weak spot behind the knee cap, sending the soldier onto the ground. Fox grabbed his rifle and smashed the butt of it into the soldier's head; whether he was dead or knocked out, Fox didn't have time to tell.

Fox aimed and fired at the first of the two other snipers, killing him without the other noticed. After, he killed the second.

"Falco, the snipers are down! When's the evac coming?" Fox yelled.

"Here she is, right on time!"

The helicopter they had flown in on was soaring into the small plaza, it's mechanized undercarriage turret mowing down the Cyalinthian troops on the ground until it was all quiet. Falco and Krystal stood up. They were okay.

"Let's go!" Fox jumped back into the safety of the helicopter, Krystal came immediately after. Falco was far behind.

He was firing at an alleyway, with groups of Cyalinthian soldiers flooding in through the alleys. He'd be surrounded if he didn't leave now; even then he'd be lucky if he got out.

"Falco! Let's go!"

Fox and Krystal assisted him, spraying at the soldiers as lasers sprayed past Falco, missing him narrowly. Shots pinged off the matte black armor of the helicopter, some rebounding back at Falco and the enemy.

"Go!" Falco yelled over the sound of his sub machine gun. "I messed up! This is it for me!"

"Falco, run! Go!" Fox jumped back out into the fray, covering Falco more intensely.

Falco sprinted for the helicopter, lasers flying all around him, splashing into the sand and the helicopter and the other soldiers. He could see the place where he'd buried his parents all those years ago, he could see Katt Monroe and how much he'd made her upset, he could see Fox and Krystal and Peppy and Slippy and all the other people who he'd come in so much contact with over his very short, 26 year life.

And then the helicopter doors slammed shut, and he was inside, breathing, alive.

"Holy shit…" Falco panted.

"Thought we lost you there for a minute…" Fox said.

"I… I'm alright." Falco said, keeping his cool demeanor intact.

…

"Most of the 40mm's are down; the east side, where I was supposed to hit, is still operational, sir." Fox said, sitting in General Pepper's makeshift office- more of a tent with a mahogany desk and a laptop in it. It at least shielded them from the blazing sun outside.

"That should be fine; so you say you met this Akiba man?" General Pepper asked, leaning his chin onto his palms.

"Yes, I had a very pleasant conversation with him while he pinned me to a wall with a gun to my head."

"What did he say?"

Fox struggled to remember the maniac's words, since he could only remember the sound of pistol shots flying past him and impacting the roof he ran across.

"He said something along the lines of, ' you're going to enslave us for money?' I replied with, 'yes, that is my job,' and Akiba then went on to say that what I was doing- WE are doing- is inherently evil and that we all will die. I'm sorry; I can't remember the exact words."

"We need this man killed. I'll hold another meeting to figure out a way to assassinate him once and for all; in the meantime we'll work on sieging the city and making sure that nobody comes in or out. Thank you for your time, Fox. You are dismissed." General Pepper and Fox saluted, and Fox stepped out into the bright sunlight, heading for the training grounds.

…

"Are they dead?" Mehlehk asked as Akiba walked into the large throne chamber.

"No, unfortunately. We almost got Falco Lombardi, the avian, but Fox McCloud saved him." Akiba scoffed. "Barely."

"And our defenses are still up?"

"Weaked, but operational, my dear Mehlehk."

"And… you? Are you alright?" Mehlehk asked, almost tentatively.

"I'm fine." Akiba said. He found himself, strangely, drawing closer to Mehlehk involuntarily. He wasn't sure why he was doing this, or why he wanted to be so close to him. All he understood that, for some odd reason, he was drawing nearer to him without thinking. This was one of the few times Akiba didn't really understand something, and it made him uneasy.

"Is…something wrong?" Mehlehk asked, staring up at him with his large brown eyes. Akiba couldn't jolt himself away, although he wanted to. Or he didn't want to. He didn't know.

"I…I just…." Akiba's head tilted sideways, and his eyes stopped blinking for a few moments.

"Sir?"

Akiba placed his hand on Mehlehk's cheek, gently massaging it. Mehlehk didn't retreat; he actually seemed to enjoy it. And Akiba began leaning into him, moving his hands to Mehlehk's waist.

"I thought we couldn't do these things outside of the Partnership…" Mehlehk said.

"I need it…" Akiba whispered, pressing Mehlehk against the ancient script that was embedded into the walls of the chamber; placing his lips onto his.

**And, I'm going to stop there because I'm pretty sure we all know what happens next. Also this is super weird for me to write; hell, I wouldn't even go into that much detail on the Fox X Krystal intimate scenes, and this is like, completely new for me. I've never given a thought to homosexual relationships because they're the same as heterosexual relationships, but…like… for a heterosexual guy it's sort of just weird to write. I don't know, thanks for listening to my rant for the day. **

**-ThatWinchieGuy**


	11. Fear

The conflict only got bloodier from there. Multiple failed attempts to siege Rah Lough pushed Cornerian forces further and further from the capital and Akiba. There didn't seem to be a way to get to him; he was always secluded in an air tight, bomb proof hole deep in the ground. After learning of this, Fox found it odd that Akiba had come out of hiding just to kill him. If he was so afraid, why would he come out to face one of Corneria's best soldiers? Perhaps the man truly was insane…

Star Fox continued fighting alongside Corneria, though they were not as effective. Every time something went wrong with an Arwing, there was nobody that the team could go to in order to get the ship repaired. Falco had already switched over to a standard issue Cornerian fighter, and scrapped his Arwing for parts. It reminded Fox a bit of Sauria, when his Arwing was practically turning to dust as he flew it. It wouldn't be long until he was dealt that hand once more.

As well as being underequipped, the team was down a pilot. Sure, Slippy was the worst pilot in the team, but he was far better than most ordinary pilots that the enemy could throw at them. One does not live through so many battles without some form of skill. For Slippy, that skill came in the form of brains. Slippy could outmaneuver anybody if he was given even a fraction of a second to think. Best of all, he could give this skill away, unlike Falco's speed or Fox's aim. Everybody gained an advantage when Slippy was flying. The loss of that advantage was noted.

…..

A few months had passed since the sabotage, and no ground was being made; it was being lost, in fact. The Cyalinthian army had set up camp only a few miles away from the Cornerian Forward Military Outpost; bombings and air raids were a daily annoyance. The camp reeked of death and untreated wounds. In the first days of the bombings, the Cyalinthians had destroyed the medical bay entirely, leveling it with hours' worth of artillery fire. Any injury received would be met with almost certain death. The situation seemed bleak.

The Star Fox Team, however, was still in it's semi-operational state. Miraculously, not a single one of them had been affected by the bombings directly; all of them were effected indirectly. Smaller rations, less sleep, being awoken in the middle of the night by shouting sirens and explosions in the near distance.

Fox stood atop the northern sniper's nest; a small inlet in the north wall which allowed to Fox to view the battlefield. It was dusk, and the two forces; Corneria and Cyalinth, were at it again. Lasers sprayed back and forth, people dropped on both sides. As he watched, Fox thought to himself. Perhaps this war really was pointless. Perhaps Akiba was right. But Fox couldn't disobey, he had to fight. That was how he was raised, that's how he thinks.

Fox could see Akiba in the distance, charging through the frontlines with his men. Akiba leapt over a small ridge, grenades primed in each hand. He hurled the grenades at two separate groups of soldiers. The grenades detonated; anybody who didn't die directly would almost certainly die a horrible, slow death back at camp and be dumped into the mass graves that were being built to house the thousands of corpses.

Fox reminded himself not to go near Akiba when he was equipped with grenades; he seemed to be one of the few soldiers that used grenades primarily rather than a firearm. He looked so fluid, so graceful. And yet, when he fought using anything else, he seemed off. Choppy, angry. Fox attributed it to insanity and watched on.

Akiba's men won; a sight all too familiar to Fox. Akiba turned and faced them, obviously about to give some form of victory speech. He raised his shaking fist into the air, pumping his arm back and forth. His soldiers did the same. Fox could hear the faint chant in the wind.

"Akiba….Akiba…Akiba…."

It was frightening, and strange. Fox never became frightened. He was never scared, and he never gave up. Those were the two golden rules of James McCloud's existence. Courage and ambition. Yet, here Fox was, hoping for an end to come soon and that he would never have to see Akiba face to face again.

The Cyalinthian Army retreated back to camp, leaving a few men at the battlefield to search for survivors. Any that were found were mocked before they were filled with holes; the Cornerians called this tactic "filling and spilling." Filling someone with holes and spilling every liquid in them. It was barbaric and inhuman. But the scary thing about this was not the actual action, but the content on the Cyalinthians' faces as young men twisted and screamed out in pain underneath their feet.

Akiba was nowhere in sight. Fox breathed easy, letting the sniper lower onto his thigh. He wasn't worried about the Cyalinthians; they were just like the Sharpclaw. They could be contained. But Akiba…he was something Fox had never experienced. Unpredictable. Precise. Perfect. These were all things that made for a good fighter. And on top of this, he was smart. Far smarter than any amount of schooling or hypnosis could make Fox.

He could beat Fox in every single way.

He was taller, quicker, smarter, more experienced, older, more ruthless.

Fox signed and ran his hand through his hair, trying to remember the date.

**Yeah, sorry about the long wait guys. I've had to study for and take a very large, Advanced Placement exam in World History, and I'm proud to say that I think I aced it. Anyways, updates will return to their normal pace. Thank you for your patience. **

**-ThatWinchieGuy**


	12. The Hypocrit

Krystal let her feet hang over the edge of the bunk. Her room- Fox's- was big enough for the two of them, though she had access to her own lodgings in the base should she need them. Krystal hadn't even looked in there yet; hadn't even gone near it. She wanted to stay with Fox, especially after the death of Slippy. She made him feel safe, feel warm and happy in a world surrounded by blood and gore.

Krystal's soft feet padded onto the sand-coated floor. Everything at the CFMO was covered in a fine layer of sand from Cyalinth's deserts, which was picked up by the wind and deposited on top of the outpost. Picking the little sand particles from one's feet was a daily annoyance.

Krystal walked tentatively towards the door, unsure of whether or not what she was doing was allowed under the current curfew that was placed on the camp. After a moment of thinking she decided that she could overrule most guards, being a civilian and contracted mercenary. Plus, the worst punishment she would receive would be being told to go back to bed; which might not be such a bad thing, considering Fox was there and all, and could wake up and worry about her.

But no, despite her thoughts, Krystal opened the steel door and stepped out into the cool nighttime air of the desert. After a quick look around, she began her quiet journey through the camp and to it's outer wall, which overlooked Rah Lough. The lights of the city shone in the sky like a flashlight, lighting up the darkness of an empty room. This was a practice she had somewhat stolen from Fox, the practice of heading out to a quiet area in the middle of the night to reflect.

She, however, incorporated her religion into the process, and knelt down to meditate. She wasn't sure why, but she felt the need to meditate at this exact moment. What made the entire thing even more peculiar was the fact that she hadn't meditated in years; the last time she had properly done this was on Sauria, and even that was very brief. Her faith was weakened immensely by the death of her people and the destruction of Cerinia.

_My name is Krystal….no, there's something wrong about that. What is it…_

Krystal thought to herself, and quickly realized what was wrong. She was not thinking in Cerinian, and the meditation seemed foreign to her.

_Od teo jeh ahlek Krystal. _

Krystal- before meditating- would often think of things she knew to be true, and keep doing so until she reached the problem she wished to meditate on.

This continued for an unknown amount of time; Krystal sat there in perfect silence and stagnation, not moving and unaware of the world of warfare that surrounded her.

Suddenly, a voice whispered in her ear.

"You're betraying yourself, you know."

Krystal jerked upwards, flinging herself into a fighting stance.

There stood Akiba, alone, unarmed, and….caring. What?

"Akiba. I wish I could say I knew you were coming, but…sadly I didn't."

"I know who you are. What you are. Where you came from."

"You don't know-"

"Krystal, born to the royal family of a tribe on the planet Cerinia. You escaped when the planet was overrun and ripped of it's natural resources. I am a very smart man, Krystal." Akiba said, cutting her off.

Krystal stood there in shock, unsure of what to say next.

"Now, back to my first point," Akiba said, stepping closer to her. "You know what you're doing goes against everything you believe."

"What could make you think that?"

"Look at you! A victim of greedy imperialism, helping imperialists rape another nation just like they raped yours. People can be so stupid sometimes."

"And you kill people because…"

"Because why? Because I can protect myself, unlike Cerinia? Is that why, Krystal?"

"What do you want from me?" Krystal said, crossing her arms over her chest.

"I want you to realize that what you are doing is wrong. What you are doing is hypocritical. And that, should you mourn the death of Cerinia after this, you should feel ashamed and dirty." Akiba said, pointing his finger at her violently.

"You want me to join you."

"I did not ask that. I only feel that joining the right cause is the only thing that can redeem you." Akiba's eyes fluttered furiously.

"Go away."

"At your command, imperialist." Akiba said, disgusted. He leapt over the low wall and disappeared into the night.

….

Krystal walked back to the bunk. Akiba, she decided, had a very valid argument. She was hypocritical. She was doing the very thing she swore never to do, lest she leap into a flaming volcano in sorrow.

_I can't fight this fight… I can't…. What will Fox think? Will he leave me? Is this what is important to him? _

Krystal stepped back into her room and looked at Fox, sound asleep on the rugged mattress.

She was horrified of what would happen next.


	13. I'm So Sorry

Fox stirred awake after a few moments, probably sensing that he was being watched. He let out a large yawn and stretched his arms out of the headboard, confused.

"What's wrong?" He asked, still stretching.

Krystal was suddenly unsure of herself, debating in her mind whether or not the truth about how she felt should rear it's ugly head. He'd no doubt be disappointed or angry or something. And yes, even though she had originally joined the fight because Corneria told her to, she now fought more for Slippy's revenge than anything. Perhaps she should put the whole ordeal behind her and forget about it, because now she was fighting the good fight.

"Is everything alright?" Fox asked, pulling himself onto his knees, kneeling on the mattress. He invited her to his embrace with an outstretched hand that just seemed eager to encircle her waist. Krystal stayed where she was, hands folded over her mouth in a pensive state.

"I…I…"

"What's wrong? You can tell me, it's okay…." Fox pressed her.

No, she couldn't fight this war anymore. She'd already destroyed her promise to herself, and that could be an unforgivable sin. She had to pull away now, refuse to fight now. Maybe she could convince him to pull the whole team out and lower the casualties on both sides…

"I can't fight this fight anymore, Fox." She said, plainly and monotone, staring at the thin layer of sand over the ground that just seemed to envelope her.

"What…what do you mean?"

Krystal let out a sigh and sat knelt down on the bed as Fox was doing. She embraced him and brought her face close to his. She could feel him shudder slightly; whether this was out of fear or ecstasy, she could not decipher.

"We're making a new Cerinia, Fox." She said, her cerulean eyes staring deeply and truthfully into his. She fought back the tears that were slowly welling up inside of her, like homeless men jostling at the door of a soup kitchen. Thinking of Cerinia in such a way…that she was imposing that fate onto countless amounts of other people…it made her physically sick to her stomach and she felt the need to vomit.

Fox's mouth opened slightly, thinking. Krystal didn't understand his thought patterns; a strange concoction of fear and revenge. Obviously none of this was directed at her, since the emeralds in his eyelids only showed compassion. Fox led his head fall down onto her bosom, and he began sobbing softly into her chest.

"I'm so sorry….I'm so sorry….I'm so sorry…" He repeated over and over as she attempted to console him, to no avail.

"Fox…"

"I did the one thing I promised never to do…. I made you a monster, just like me…." Fox said, still sobbing.

"You're not a monster." She said as tears began to flow from her eyes as well. Whenever he cried, she cried as well.

"Stay away from the fighting. Please, do this, now. I'm so sorry to have ever brought you into this…. I'm so sorry…shit, shit, shit shit…." Fox rocked back and forth, his head still buried in Krystal's breast. What was amazing was the fact that he was not mad, rather, he was filled with tradgedy and remorse.

"It's not your fault…It's not your fault…Shhhh….Shhhh….." She sounded so much like mother. Fox's sobs became louder.

"I….I have to do this. Shit…I can't…I have to…I can't…" Fox said, arguing with himself, rocking back and forth. It was as if the rocking was a result of each side of his mind punching him in the head, sending him reeling into the other side's fist.

"Fox… listen." She said, pulling his head close to hers. His face reminded her of the day that they had poured their sadness into one another, where they sat crying in the night for hours, unceasingly.

"I'm so sorry…." He murmured again.

"No, listen. I can't fight this war anymore. And, had it not been for Slippy… I wouldn't be able to condone your part in it either. Or Falco's, or all of Corneria for even starting the war. But now that we've suffered losses because of it…. I don't know, Fox."

"I have to do it. I have to kill him." Fox moaned out, almost in pain. He buried his face in his hands, his hot and ragged breath slamming against his palms.

"Fox…"

"No, Krystal," he said, taking both of her cheeks into his sweaty, tear-coated hands. "I'm never going to forgive myself for this, but I have to kill him. Otherwise, he will kill all of us. I don't want to. I HAVE to. Do you understand?" Krystal nodded her head, even though she knew it would come to this. "I'm going to make SURE that the people of Cyalinth are treated as equals. I will not be the creator of a new Cerinia. I PROMISE you that. I promise…I promise…I promise…." Fox said, hiding his face once more and crying into his hands.

Krystal placed her hand softly on his back as he moaned and cried out.

"He has the correct idea, but the wrong means of carrying it out."

"I'm so sorry….I'm so sorry…." He continued. Krystal wasn't sure whether or not he heard her. It was amazing that Fox would break down in such a way, so rapidly and so violently. Perhaps he believed his biggest fears were being met once more; that he yet again believed he was the cause for another's unnecessary death. Krystal could not pull anything from his mind. Only flashing images of his father, exploding planets-she could only assume that this planet was Cerinia-, images of Slippy and Falco and the Great Fox explosion and his mother and Andross and everybody else who had so strongly impacted his life. The only emotion mixed in with these images was a deep, deep depression; Krystal feared for his safety, as, judging from his mental state, it seemed highly likely that Fox could whip out his blaster and end his entire existence right there, right in front of her as he muttered 'I'm so sorry…I'm so sorry….'

There was nothing more she could do, however, than embrace him tightly as the tragic scene played out in front of her eyes.


	14. Running Out of Time

"Fox, this is Pepper. We need you and you team in the command center, ASAP. Pepper ou-"

"General, there's something I have to tell you." Fox blurted out. A few weeks had passed since that fateful night, and Fox had yet to tell General Pepper about Krystal and her stance on the war. No doubt losing another Star Fox member would greatly upset him, not to mention the repercussions it could have on the moral of the army.

"Yes Fox? What is it?" General Pepper asked, his authoritative, monotone voice unchanged.

"Krystal..she.."

"Well, go on Fox, spit it out. This doesn't sound good."

What would General Pepper do if he knew that Star Fox didn't support Corneria? Would he label them outlaws, placing them among the ranks of Star Wolf and other criminals? Fox laughed at that quickly in his mind; perhaps that would be fitting for them, considering the job Fox was forced to undertake, if not for money than for protection, if anything. All jokes aside, General Pepper had become slightly more…radical these days, and that fate might not be as far-fetched as Fox believed.

"Krystal is…. She's pregnant, sir."

General Pepper's breath could be heard over the channel, and there was an awkward moment of silence as Fox looked out over the desert, awaiting a response to his blatant lie.

"Are you sure, Fox?"

"100 percent, sir." Fox had never been a good liar, but he was good at doing what was necessary; if that meant lying, then so be it.

"Well… uhm… this leaves us with a problem, doesn't it, Fox?" General Pepper had taken the bait.

"Yes… I think Krystal should rest, though. Falco, Peppy and I will be down to the command center in a few minutes."

"Alright then. Pepper out." He sounded skeptical, but there was no way to know for sure without seeing his facial expressions.

It was at the moment where static filled his headset for a brief second that Fox realized the monumental error of his ways. He now had very, very little time to end this war; people would begin to notice that Krystal was indeed without child if he took more than 3 months. Perhaps even less than that. He didn't want to hurt Krystal more than he already had.

Fox sighed, ran his hand through the white hair between his ears, and walked at a brisk pace to the command center.

…

As Fox walked, he recounted the victories the Cornerian Army had been experiencing in the last few days. After Akiba had made an appearance of the battlefield that night, he vanished, and hadn't been seen since. There was no telling what he was hiding from; it seemed as though the Cyalinthians were about to win. But, with Akiba gone, that was no longer the case. The saying "out of sight, out of mind" had shone to be true for the Cyalinthians; they were pushed back to Rah Lough in a matter of days, and the war was once again at a stalemate, with the Cornerians unable to launch a full attack on the city due to multiple-repaired- pieces of anti-aircraft guns and artillery.

Fox and Falco had been working overtime as of late. The two of them were almost constantly on the battlefield or in the air, leading troops or fighting in the bloodied sand with them. Truth be told, Fox was stressed. Each person he killed dragged a part of him with them; he felt like he was being torn apart at the seams. He didn't want these people to die… they just had to. They would never stop unless Akiba died. And the longer that crazed avian was alive, the bigger the death toll grew.

Fox snarled as he thought of the name, bringing up an aftertaste in his mouth similar to when he heard the word Andross.

…

Lasers sprayed everywhere, into the dirt and the sand, sending flaming particles of earth into the air and the lungs of the Cyalinthian soldiers. A grenade exploded here or there; they were well and truly pinned down.

Akiba watched the scene unfold from an undisclosed location underneath the royal palace. Images of the firefight were brought to him via a small, unmanned drone which he controlled using a complex computer system.

"Akiba, sir! We need artillery support! Coordinates 654 and 655! Danger close!"

Akiba leaned forward towards the microphone on his desk, in order to make his voice heard better to the men surrounded and suffocated by death.

"Denied; push them back."

"Si- Agh!" Akiba watched the smoldering blood spray from the sergeant's body, his face and demeanor unchanged. He was losing this war. Not even he, the most intelligent of the Cyalinthians, saw any gap, and chink in the armor of the Cornerian Empire. And, truth be told, he was nervous. Very, very nervous.

He had strayed away from the battlefields and the dogfights, away from the fighting. This country needed him as long as they could have him, and he couldn't let some idiotic mistake in battle be the death of Cyalinth. Even fighting at all was dangerous for him now, as only the stronger members of his army remained; alive, but battered. Akiba wondered how much longer he could keep this up; death seemed inevitable. But, as he had said when he declared war on Corneria, his country was something he was willing to die for, no matter how painful. Loyalty comes first.


	15. Exhausted

The automatic door slid open as Fox, Falco and Peppy walked towards it and into the Command Center of the CFMO. A cadet, as usual, greeted them with a crisp, clean salute, which was returned in the same manner by Peppy and in the opposite manner by Fox and Falco. Bags were clearly visible underneath their eyes, which were bloodshot and a light pink color. Also, they were not open completely, and were slowly closing with each activity the two of them undertook. The ace pilots walked with a sort of limp in their step, not from injury but from concentrated exhaustion. Their arms swung like pendulums from their shoulders; back and forth without any direction or purpose.

"Good afternoon, Star Fox Team." General Pepper said, saluting. Fox blinked lazily as he moved his arm up to his forehead and Falco just simply stood there motionless. General Pepper gave a face of disapproval, which was quickly wiped off after Peppy mouthed the word "tired" behind Fox and Falco.

"Come in, and sit wherever you like. Try to stay awake." Fox and Falco stumbled over to the nearest seats, collapsing into them with a satisfying thud.

"Now that everybody is here…." General Pepper began, "We must assess the current situation. Corneria has the upper hand in this war. We are right at Rah Lough's gates, but Cyalinth still fights back, with staggering power for such a small force. In two days' time, a full assault will be made on Rah Lough."

There were numerous grunts of approval among the other officers in the room.

"A mission to assassinate Akiba will take place during this raid. The two operatives working on the assassination will be Fox McCloud and Falco Lombardi of the Star Fox Team." General Pepper said, his hand motioning to less than half of the full team. Fox and Falco nonchalantly acknowledged the people who had turned their heads to where General Pepper had motioned.

"Fox, Falco; I have a mission overview for both of you, so please stay once we've completed going over the details of the raid."

….

The meeting continued on, with Fox and Falco passing in and out of alertness at random times. Fox was able to scrap up the gist of the raid from tidbits he had understood and from the captain sitting next to him, who was very excited about talking to a "celebrity soldier", as he called it. Fox's mission would begin a few hours before the bulk of the assault began; he and Falco would slip into the city in a way similar to the way they got in last time, and when day broke the main attack would begin. By that time, Fox and Falco had to be somewhere safe, since thousands of tons of canisters would be emptied on the city. Fox didn't like that they were killing civilians, and protested to no avail. General Pepper argued that it had to be down to secure victory, and in a sense he was right. Akiba would never come out unless he was forced out; the death of thousands would probably force him just fine.

After a few hours, the siege of Rah Lough had begun. Cornerian troops fired potshots at the city walls here and there, rounding up any in the countryside like cattle, and throwing them into the city walls. In a short time, Rah Lough had gone from a semi-peaceful city to a prison. Fox couldn't see much, but he could get a feel for what was going on in Rah Lough from the sniper's nest he had seen Akiba from.

Even with the Cyalinthians weakened, Fox didn't feel safe. There was something about Akiba… some trait he showed in everything he did. He was a good fighter, and an even better general….but why? How did he get to that point? There had to be something in his mental makeup that made him so awkward and yet so talented.

He was fast, smart, strong, sporadic, and ambitious.

Ambition.

The word stuck in Fox's brain, as if opposite poles had been brought together in his mind.

Akiba was so talented because he worked ceaselessly to get to that point. He wouldn't stop until he was either dead or they were dead. There was no way to stop this war peacefully, no way to stop this war without upsetting Krystal, no way to stop this war without killing scores of innocent people and then enslaving those who survived. Fox's own ambition hadn't been present on Cyalinth.

Fox let the binoculars fall to the floor as he passed out, asleep in the sniper's nest, after 28 hours of being awake.

…

**Sorry about the really short chapter, but there's just nothing really to put in this chapter simply because it's setting up for the coming chapters. Again, sorry, and thanks for reading.**

**-ThatWinchieGuy**


	16. Farewell, Until We Meet Again

Everything was in it's place. The siege of Rah Lough was in full effect, Cornerian soldiers were gearing up for the final assault. It was early in the morning- around 0500- and Fox was walking about the CFMO, checking all sorts of systems and weapons that he would be bringing with him. The sand blew constantly in the early morning sun, filling Fox's nostrils and clumping up in his fur. Fox would be grateful, at least, that he could escape the sand once this was all over. He'd come to hate it very much, and didn't want to spend another day picking the sand out of his hair and his feet.

Fox finished cleaning down his sub machine gun, which was quite small but packed a powerful punch. It held 30 rounds in all, and weighed about 9 pounds. He would be able to run, climb, and attack with full speed and effectiveness. The gun had been designed specifically for stealth assassinations, like the one Falco and he were about to undertake. Falco would be using a handgun, however, and was cleaning it beside Fox. Occasionally, Falco would look up at the sun and grunt with displeasure; apparently he and Fox shared the same views on Cyalinth's climate.

"Damn sun…" Falco muttered underneath his breath.

"Tell me about it." Fox replied, though he was not spoken to directly.

"Don't worry about it, Fox. This'll all be over and I can take a vacation in a totally different area with sand and heat and the annoying little friggen lizards crawling all over me while I sleep."

"Nervous?" Fox asked; Falco never really lost his cool, but when he did, it was noticeable. There was a hint of this in Falco's last sentence.

"Nah….I don't get nervous, you know that. Just…eager, that's all."

"We'll avenge him man…we will." Fox said, turning back to his weapon and looking it over again.

Falco let out a silent huff, and said, "Yeah. Yeah….we will." Falco looked up from his handgun as he said it, staring off into the bright blue sky.

The two of them held a brief silence as they continued cleaning.

"Falco…" Fox said, without his brain's permission.

"Yeah?"

"This is going to be tough."

"When is it ever easy?"

"No, I mean really tough. This might be the hardest fight we've ever fought, man." Fox said, putting the greased up rag down and looking at Falco intently.

"We'll be fine."

"I'm not so sure…"

"Fox, you've always been sure. What's that thing your dad said…? 'Never give up…trust your instincts,' I think? Well, you've been living by that your whole life and you'll live it out here." Falco said, copying Fox's actions and laying his rag down.

"This Akiba guy…he's insane. He'll stop at nothing to kill us."

"Yeah, well I'm not gonna stop at anything either." Falco blurted out, somewhat loudly.

"If anything goes wrong, man…I want you to know… Thanks. For everything."

"Fox, you don't have to…"

"No, I mean it. I don't say it enough but I really appreciate you, man. You're pretty much the main reason I'm still here to fight this fight."

"Dude, stop. We're gonna be fine, man." Falco said, his eyes pleading with Fox. He'd always shied away from these kinds of conversations, simply because they were not his style.

"Just… thanks for being there, man…that's all."

"Yeah… I'm with you there, Fox."

And with that, the two of them continued cleaning their weapons, eager for what the mission would entail for them.

…

Fox lay awake in his quarters, unable to sleep. He was well and truly terrified of tonight. It was about 1500, and the mission would begin tomorrow at 0100 for Falco and himself. He needed his rest, but he couldn't seem to let himself relax for long enough to pass from alertness into the deep void of sleep.

"Krys?" Fox asked, not turning to the cerulean vixen in the bed next to him. He stared at the ceiling and awaited a response.

After a few moments, a small, tired voice came out.

"Yes?"

"I'm… I'm worried."

"I can feel it." She said, nuzzling closer to him.

"I think I could die out there." Krystal shuddered slightly at the thought of it.

"You have to be careful. You always are. Use your mind, use your speed, use every asset you have."

"I know… I'll try." Fox said, turning over on his side so that his muzzle was centimeters away from hers. They had been acting like this for quite a long time, but that didn't take away the excitement or ecstasy Fox felt every time he was this close to her. Despite the circumstances, Fox still found himself lured into her deep indigo eyes; arousal filled his senses.

"You'll come back to me…I know you will." She said, leaning her head in closer and kissing him passionately. Fox moaned with satisfaction as he pushed harder against her. It was quite odd that they had time to do this, considering what awaited Fox.

The couple kept at this for a few moments, before Fox shifted and positioned himself on top of her, his bare chest pressing against the soft cotton of the baby blue tank top she wore. He leaned backwards, as Krystal took the hint and removed the tank top, revealing her shapely breasts. Fox breathed heavily and pushed his head between them as Krystal writhed around underneath him.

"I love you…" Fox whispered over the sound of ruffling sheets and covers, and the quiet squeaks of pleasure coming from Krystal's soft lips. Fox moved his mouth up to Krystal's neck, biting it and sucking on the flesh underneath her downy fur. Krystal's feet encircled Fox as he pressed on, gasping excitedly as he caressed her throat and clutched at the bed to her sides.

"I'll remember this night forever…" Fox groaned as Krystal began pushing against his toned chest, not to send him away but to draw him closer. She pushed him off of her, once again laying him on his side, and gently placed her hand on his cheek.

"You have to rest." She whispered with a hint of remorse in her words.

Fox kept on nipping at her neck, but gave her a motion of agreement. He soon pulled a little bit away from her, studying her naked body one last time as he pulled the covers over her waist. The two of them stared into each other's eyes- emerald meeting sapphire- until finally the green was blocked out by Fox's tired and worried eyelids.


	17. Mission, Go

Fox slammed his fist down swiftly and silently on the alarm clock, immediately glancing to Krystal to ensure she was still asleep. Krystal wriggled under the covers, then settled back down, her back turned to Fox as she slept on her side. He was glad he didn't need to have the somber conversation of last night with her all over again now. Fox frowned and gently pulled the covers off of him, the dim light of dawn shining onto the spot where he had just been laying. He walked over to the side of the bed that the front of her body was facing, and looked down over her.

_I hope I make it out of this._

Fox sighed and leant down, kissing Krystal on the cheek. Fox's frown intensified as he snuck out the door, into whatever fate awaited him in the desert.

…

Falco was sitting on a crate by the helicopter, reading a small piece of paper, which looked like it had been folded many times over. Fox knew better than to meddle in Falco's personal affairs, so he pretended not to notice when Falco hastily folded the paper and stuffed it into his pocket as he approached.

"You ready?" Fox asked, pointing behind him to the helicopter, which was beginning to start up.

"Ready as I'll ever be." Falco said, holstering the pistol which lay beside him. He stood up and slid open the door of the helicopter. He stepped inside; Fox followed.

The mission was relatively simple on paper; infiltrate Akiba's hideout as he addressed key social figures beneath the city. One of them-most likely Fox- would then proceed to assassinate Akiba from above, or using any means.

However, Fox and Falco knew that a job of such importance was never that simple. Akiba had nearly tripled the guard since being pressed back inside the city walls, and each member of the Cyalinthian military- as well as every citizen of Rah Lough- knew Fox and Falco's face. Every person within those walls wanted Fox and Falco dead.

Since this was the case, the two pilots opted to get to the outer wall of Akiba's subterranean hideout via Rah Lough's sewer system. Two hours from the mission start, Rah Lough would be bombed. There was no way of knowing whether or not Akiba would be dead by then, but Fox hoped he was, since that would save the most lives. This, however, seemed highly unlikely.

The helicopter landed and Fox and Falco sprinted out of the open, into the shade of the South wall of Rah Lough, where the main entrance to the sewers was located.

"Brace yourself; this is gonna be rank." Falco said, pulling out a welding tool and slicing into the large metal door. Falco then kicked the small hole in the door into the sewer and Fox and Falco climbed through.

"Shit…" Falco complained, covering his nose.

"Literally." Fox replied.

"Alright… Let's go." Falco said, finally regaining his composure.

There was much more resistance in the sewers than they had expected. Guards patrolled almost every block's sewage drain, and people were constantly being ferried back and forth by the ladders leading to the street's manholes.

"This guy's really insane, isn't he? Guards in the sewers?" Falco said quietly over the communications channel as the two of them waited for a guard to pass.

"Maybe he expects us to come this way." Fox added.

"Well, you did say he was pretty smart."

"That may have been an understatement."

"You don't say?" Falco added before switching his focus back to the task at hand.

"Falco, guy on the left. 3. 2. 1." Fox said, springing up silently from the box he was hiding behind and pulling one of the guards over it, choking him, cutting the air to his brain. Falco did the exact same thing not far away from him, and the two of them proceeded further.

"We're not too far from where we're getting out." Fox said, pointing to some unseen point to the north.

"Looks like the guards are thinning out too." Falco added.

"Let's get out of here before they show up, then."

Fox and Falco climbed up to the surface, appearing from underground inside the walls of some kind of power plant. It seemed as though nobody was nearby, so the pilots loosened up a bit. Fox kept his guard up, however, his gun trained on the rooftops of the seemingly empty buildings. He could never be too sure; you never know what a cornered beast might do. Falco had an angry expression on his face. Fox took notice of this.

"You alright?" Fox asked, whispering into his headset.

"I'm just… ready for this, that's all."

"Alright…Keep your guard up." Fox warned.

The power plant was bigger than expected. There must have been a dozen buildings, each with broken windows and desert plants growing up the walls. Fox didn't like the place; it reminded him of Venom, with it's desolated industrial spots and the sand blowing back and forth in the gentle breeze. Falco didn't seem too happy about it either, the scowl on his face intensified.

"Something's up." Fox said.

"Yeah. I can feel it too."

"Somebody's watching us." Fox said, emerald eyes flashing back and forth and looking for any sign of movement.

"Fox. I see him." Falco said, not looking to a specific location. "He's to our right, hanging onto the wall, 30 yards ahead. Don't look now."

There was, indeed, someone hanging onto the wall of a nearby building, their beige clothes camouflaged against the mud-bricks of the building. There had to have been others, but they were invisible. Fox looked down at his watch, which read

_0259_

One minute until the bombing started. Probably less.

"Falco, listen carefully for the bombing. Once it starts, get into cover and let em' hav-"

The first bomb came soaring into the power plant, smashing into the would-be assailant and sending him spiraling into the air.

**Thank goodness I got a gap! My computer's been hardly working this entire week, and I've been struggling to get it to turn on, and then after that I've been struggling to write and then have enough time to connect to the internet and finally upload…it's been a struggle for this chapter. I'll try to get chapters out as quick as possible, sorry for the delays. **

**-ThatWinchieGuy**


	18. The Best Friend

Bricks and dirt came showering down around Fox as he dove behind cover.

"Falco!" He yelled over the comms channel, readying himself for the fight which ensued all around him.

"Yeah, I'm here!"

"How many?"

"One on the roof, I'm guessing there's about five on the ground!" Falco yelled. He was spraying shots wildly, yet precisely; trying to suppress the enemy. Fox looked to the roof first, eager to take away any large advantage the Cyalinthians might have over them. Besides numbers of course. He couldn't let them get ahead.

Standing on the roof of the burning factory was a gray feathered avian, with piercing eyes, and a statuesque posture.

"That's one!" Falco yelled, ducking back behind his crate. Fox's eyes lingered on the avian. He knew who it was, and the avian knew who he was. The vulpine debated in his head whether he should tell Falco or not; doing so might cause a blazing fire in Falco. This could either help them or hinder them. Outnumbered so badly, though, Fox judged it would be the latter of the two.

"Fox, what the hell?! Help me out here!" Falco screamed over the sound of lasers whizzing past his head. Fox simply sat there, staring at Akiba.

"Fox! Fuck!" Fox snapped back into consciousness and fired clumsily at Akiba, who walked calmly backwards, dodging the shots and disappearing into the dawn.

"That's another!" Falco yelled.

Fox noticed reinforcements coming in from the left side, where he was.

"Falco! Left side!" Fox shouted.

"Shit!" Falco replied, watching another 3 men swarm into the building and duck behind various crates and boxes.

"I'll take the left; focus on the right!"

"Got it!" Falco said, springing up from his cover once again and nodding in satisfaction as he hit another Cyalinthian.

They were back at square one, this time with less ammo and pushed back against the wall. On top of that, there was one more soldier to deal with, and Akiba was gone. What if he popped up behind them?

"Fox! That Mehlehk guy's here!" Falco yelled, pointing off to the left.

"He's just another one of them, he dies like the rest!" Fox said, with renewed confidence now that Akiba was out of sight.

The firefight ensued, this time without reinforcements. After a few Cyalinthians lay dead with blood dripping from their wounds, Fox and Falco started pushing forward.

"Perhaps he underestimated us!" Fox yelled to Falco, who was slightly ahead of him. Falco always had a way of getting out in front of Fox; even though Fox was quicker, Falco was longer and could cover more ground with less effort.

"I want this Mehlehk shithead!" Falco yelled, sprinting forward once more, leaving Fox to suppress the enemies.

Fox could see Falco rise up over the cover Mehlehk was behind, followed by the rapid bursts of gunshots. Fox looked carefully out of the corner of his eyes, watching Falco rise up in the perfect position to flank. And then he saw him, and his stomach sank.

Akiba leapt off the building; his scimitar trained on Falco's skull.

"Falco!" Fox screamed, his voice cracking.

Falco turned to face him with a form of surprised shock on his face, not noticing what was above him.

"Abo-" Fox started, cut off by the crunch of Akiba's body landing on top of Falco. Fox could see the scimitar rise up, Akiba's arm clutching it, and swing downwards.

"Falco!" Fox yelled, dashing away from his cover and bull-running towards Akiba, hatred in his eyes.

Fox could see Akiba's eyes from where he was running on him; yards away, yet visible as though they were inches away. Fox could see pain and… contentment. Two things that were so opposite in one pair of eyes. Pain for the loss of a close friend, and content for the consequent revenge for that loss.

Fox's eyes were just filled with raw hate.

Fox leapt over the waist high cover; Akiba dodged him narrowly. Fox charged again, knife in hand, swinging wildly.

"You may want to check on your friend there, McCloud! He does not look so well!" Akiba shouted over the effort of dodging Fox's attacks. Fox kept on going at him, biting and growling.

"You don't want to? Fine, I'll make you!" Akiba screeched, kicking Fox firmly in the face and sending him into the dunes. Fox lay there for a few moments, writhing in pain. Through blurred vision he could see Akiba slip off someplace to his left. He could hear the muffled sounds of the bombing. All of these things meshed together to create some form of hellish setting for Fox.

Fox finally stood up and stumbled over to Falco, despite the throbbing headache which was now pounding it's way around Fox's head like a steam train.

Falco's chest was oozing blood quickly, his flight jacket was completely soaked. Falco just felt around the wound, able to realize that it was finally time to land his Arwing after all those years…

"Falco…" Fox gasped, exasperated.

"I'm gone, Fox. It's over for me." Falco said, reaching around his for his pocket, and hoping that it wasn't ruined.

"This is Fox McCloud, entry code FM-26, requesting immediate medevac, longitude-"

"Fox…don't. Here. I need you to do something for me." Falco said, showing Fox the tiny slip of paper he had hidden when they mounted the helicopter. "This is a note for my dad. He lives on Papetoon, probably; Marcello Lombardi. I want you to give him this." Falco grunted with the effort of speaking.

Fox clasped his best friend's hand in his, staring into his eyes. They were blue, like the sky. Fox held his hand for a few moments, savoring the last moment.

Then Falco smiled, and groaned, "I'm gonna miss you, man."

"I'm gonna miss you too. I'll make sure your dad knows."

"I'd like that."

"I'm gonna kill him."

"Good." Falco's breaths softened even further. "It's time for me to put her back in the hangar, buddy."

"Bring it home, Falco."

Falco's smile turned into nothingness, and his head fell softly to the floor as he pulled in his last breath of Cyalinthian air.

"Bring it home…" Fox said, closing his best friend's eyes and placing a tracker on his bloodied jacket, so that his body might be given the proper burial.


	19. Those Who Deny Freedom

_Okay. Find Akiba, kill him, and get out. Easier said than done. _

Fox was in full focus mode, his mind firing away, trying to figure out a way to salvage the mission. Akiba was right there, and….he failed, and now Falco was dead because of it.

_Dammit! Again!_

Fox's mind constantly contradicted itself as he sprinted down the narrow alleyways, desperately searching for Akiba. He killed Falco, but he didn't, but it was his fault. He killed Slippy, but he didn't, but it was his fault. He'd ruined Krystal, but…he did. He did do that. What was the point of this? All hope was gone.

Fox vaguely remembered the plan now, trying to recall when and where he and Falco were supposed to deal the finishing blow to Akiba.

He was addressing the people. That was it. That's where he was; right out in the open. But only for a few moments. Fox's legs pushed his body even harder. There was no sense of duty or honor in him, so sense of what was right and what was wrong, what he should do and what he wanted to do.

All he knew was that he was going to kill Akiba today.

Fox's rage carried him into a large open square, from which he quickly retreated.

Thousands upon thousands of Cyalinthians were rallying in the streets, overlooked by a tiny balcony on which Akiba stood, shaking his fist furiously and pointing to the rockets which rained down from the sky. What he was saying was inaudible, left unheard by the cries of anger and vengeance by the citizens.

Bombs crashed into the square, killing innocent civilians which were rioting and shaking their fists angrily at the rising sun.

"No!" Fox yelled, sprinting into the square, pushing his way through the crowd. "Run! Run while you can!" Fox screamed. His thoughts instantly went to Krystal. He never wanted this; he had only ever wanted to do his job. He wanted to retire and have a family and be the man his father was. He never wanted to force this genocide, this blood, onto Krystal's hands.

People swung and threw various items at him; books, sticks, rocks, fists. Fox didn't care, he only pushed on through them, shoving his way to Akiba's open balcony, which was far above him. Perhaps he could climb the wall before Akiba noticed. Fox checked the equipment available to him; his sub-machine gun- which he had hardly any ammo left for- his pistol, which had no ammo, his bloodied knife, which was almost certainly dull, and a single hand grenade. Fox became excited when he saw the grenade, and knew exactly what he wanted to do.

It was time for him to show a little insanity of his own.

Fox's legs propelled him onto the wall which was underneath the platform, which he immediately began climbing up, his body behaving as that of a spider's does. Some of the citizens gasped and became throwing things at him, trying to knock him off the wall. Fox could hear the faint voice of Akiba shouting down to his subjects.

"The time for our victory is now, friends! We will push them back! We have the superior army, the drive to defend what is rightfully ours!" The crowd shouted his name in unison.

Fox kept climbing, now so close to the balcony. He had one shot at what he was about to do, and, should it pay off, Akiba would be dead. Fox took the grenade from his belt, his left hand stick clinging to the wall with all the diminished strength it had left in it. He bit the pin and pulled it out, counting the precious seconds.

_One. _

Fox could feel a rocket impound with the wall as the word "apology" came to mind.

_Two._

Fox hurled the grenade at the balcony, watching it as it reached the height of it's arc directly beneath the balcony.

_Three. _

The explosion rocked the balcony and the building. It's supports crumbled and gave way; the balcony went spiraling down towards the crowd. Fox leapt off the wall to evade it, his arms encircling Akiba in a tackling position. Akiba seemed frightened by the sudden sensation of falling, as well as the fact that Fox- with his bloodied nose and scarlet red eyes- was the one who was now holding him as though he intended to save him. The two of them swung a wild punch at the other, each trying to gain the edge and survive the fall. Fox quickly whipped out his knife and, realizing he was above Akiba, aimed his knife at Akiba's throat and braced himself for the crunching pain of impact with the bricks below.

Fox's knife dug violently into the flowing robes that Akiba was wearing. Fox could hear multiple cracking sounds and screams of pain came from both of their throats as they tumbled around aimlessly on the floor. A sharp pain had arisen in Fox's right arm, which he had used to stab Akiba. He assumed it was broken and stood up, dazed and confused, but for the most part alright.

Akiba's breath was ragged and violent as he coughed up blood, willing himself to his feet. His beak was split into two pieces and the knife which Fox held was stuck in his left shoulder sideways and deep. Fox was sure that it's point stuck out of Akiba's back. His ankle was clearly broken or sprained, and already it had turned a shade of indigo.

"Come…Fox… Let's finish this." Akiba coughed out, his fists raised into a fighting position. The crowd had cleared out, and it was just the two of them, alone in the square. Fox would have felt bad for this, had it not been under these circumstances.

Fox punched Akiba square in his beak, sending shards of it flying into his knuckle. Akiba fell down clumsily after attempting to block Fox's punch. He screamed in pain as his head collided with the brick floor of the plaza. Fox positioned himself over Akiba and grabbed him by the collar.

Akiba chuckled and blood trickled from his nose, his beady eyes blinked rapidly as they regularly did. At least his insanity had not left him yet.

"Do it…Fox. Kill me." Akiba groaned through wet breaths.

"No. I will not show mercy. You will die slowly, while I watch the life drain from your face, staring with content at the job I have done." Fox said, anger controlling him.

"It was always….A job to you…wasn't it?"

"Business should never interfere with personal issues. I see that now, now that everyone I love is dead or decimated."

"Do you…. Think I have not lost here….Fox? My country will…be enslaved….I have lost….everything."

"You killed people out of anger. You deserve this fate, Akiba."

"I killed them….because I was provoked! I never did…anything…. In this war….without reason to do so!"

"I recall that you were the one to declare war, hypocrite." Fox said, spitting in his face.

"I…declared war because…your people threatened mine. I did not…want this… you could have left with your greed…your avarice… you could have left us alone to live as we always have. But instead…you did this…" Akiba said, motioning with his uninjured arm to the city around them.

Fox stood there breathing heavily, still holding onto Akiba's collar.

"Those who deny freedom to others…do not deserve it for themselves, Fox." Akiba uttered, as his head fell back into the ground from whence it came.


	20. Speaking Out

**So, before I start this chapter, there's a few updates I want to make regarding my account and my laptop and all those formalities. **

**In concerns of my laptop…I think it's safe to say that I've fixed it. Sort of. It's a very long story, but nobody really wants to hear it. Point is, it's fixed, and I can get back to writing, which is good. **

**Secondly, finals begin next week, June 16****th****, for me. Which means for about a week less content will be coming out. By then I plan to have Insanity Pulse finished, so it shouldn't be a big deal. Just don't expect a big story from me until around the 26****th****. Maybe earlier; I haven't decided yet. **

**And now, on with Chapter 20. **

**-ThatWinchieGuy**

Peace was made on March 5th.

A parade was to be held in the very plaza where Fox had killed Akiba tomorrow. It was custom for such parades to be held; often times in the conquered capital of the enemy. Even when Corneria lost- which was very rare nowadays- they still held the parade in Corneria City, thanking the soldiers for their service.

Fox didn't feel like they'd won. He felt the opposite way, in fact. He felt like he'd single-handedly rubbed the loss right in General Pepper's face. What call was there for celebration? Krystal was devastated, Falco and Slippy were dead, Peppy was barely hanging on to his dim life at such an old age… The only one that remained seemingly unscathed was Fox.

But he was not unharmed either.

He had to carry the guilt. The guilt of Falco's death, the guilt of Slippy's death, the guilt from what he'd forced on Krystal, the guilt of practically enslaving an entire race, the guilt of being handed that golden little piece of metal, standing on a stage where everybody watching wanted you dead.

Fox slid on the jacket he would now use to hold military decorations, as the old one had been decimated in the Great Fox explosion. It was at this moment, as the soft black cloth of the suit jacket slid over his shoulders, that Fox realized that his entire existence had been destroyed and rebuilt again, smaller and more insignificant than it's former.

He looked over to Krystal, who was already dressed for the occasion. She was wearing a suit similar to his, though it wrapped tighter around her feminine form.

_I still have her, though._

Fox smiled when he thought this; a dull, weak smile, but a smile nonetheless.

"Are you angry with me?" Fox said, almost without thinking.

Krystal looked up at him, her deep cerulean eyes seemed to diminish and gray slightly as she sighed.

"No. I'm not. I'm just…disappointed, that's all. In all of this; In myself…in Corneria…I can't believe this happened."

"I can't believe they're gone..." Fox whispered, finally able to grieve now that he was free from this war.

No. He was not free. He would never be free again.

"I can still hear them. They're happy with what you've done, avenging them, Fox." Krystal put a comforting arm over his shoulder, pulling him close.

"Why should they be happy? I've betrayed everything I promised to be." Fox said, angrily.

"They're happy because you're still here. That's all they wanted, Fox. They wanted you to be here."

"I'm gonna miss them, Krys. And I need your help."

"And I'm happy to offer it whenever you need it… Now, there's a parade waiting for us." Krystal said, taking his hand and leading him out the door.

"Thanks. I love you, Krystal."

"I love you too."

The parade was dismal. The Cyalinthians were more than unhappy about the way they were being treated. They threw rocks and sticks and books at the soldiers marching through their streets; the Cornerians retaliated with gunshots. It was a revolutionary scene.

The rioting gave Fox an idea. He would be giving a speech at the main stage, directly underneath the spot from which the balcony fell. He would speak out against this. He wouldn't let the Cyalinthians face enslavement and harsh punishment. He'd fix this.

Fox and Krystal stepped onto the maskeshift wooden stage. Cyalinthians of all social classes heckled them.

"Harlot! Murderer! Monsters!" They shouted.

Fox couldn't really blame them. He let the insults come. He knew he was deserving of them.

Fox shook General Pepper's hand, and listened to his introduction.

"And, here he is, Savior of Cyalinth, Star Fox Team Leader, Fox McCloud!" The parade director sang out. Savior of Cyalinth? He'd hardly call himself that. Fox wasn't sure how he felt being used as propaganda.

Fox looked down and skimmed the speech he had been given to read. It was all about Corneria and it's grandeur, how Cyalinth was once uncivilized but will be no longer.

Fox took the piece of paper in his hands, and ripped it in two, letting it fall to the ground.

"Greetings, I am Fox McCloud, Leader of the mercenary team, Star Fox." There were shouts of hatred amongst the crowd.

"I know many of you hate me. And with good reason to do so. I, however, will not be talking about civilizing you and how great my mother country is. No, I will be talking to you about equality. Freedom." The Cyalinthians exchanged quizzical glances amongst one another.

"Akiba was a great man." The crowd cheered momentarily.

"He was ambitious, and held his beliefs and his country above all else. He died loving you all. This much was clear to me. And, after some reflection of my own these past few days, I realize that I have committed a fatal mistake." General Pepper made a move to stop him. Krystal grabbed the General's arm and pulled him back.

"I am the major cause in an effect I never wished upon another living man; enslavement. And that is why I advocate equality! All men are equal! Cornerians, Cyalinthians, we can live as one body, working together instead of putting each other down!" Fox was pushed away from the microphone, and the crowd booed loudly at the parade leader. Fox was ushered off the stage. As he was pushed off, he noticed the rage in General Pepper's eyes. It didn't make a difference, however. Fox planned to retire once he got home, and perhaps ask Krystal to marry him, should she be up for it.

The Cyalinthians hoisted Fox up in the air, shouting his name. He didn't want this, either. He'd killed their leader. He shouldn't be receiving praise. But he accepted it willingly, being carried back to his dwellings, with Krystal lagging behind him.


	21. A Promise to Keep

Fox fondled the tiny piece of paper in his pocket, standing in the rain. He held an umbrella over Krystal's head. He didn't want to stand underneath it. He wanted to be soaking wet, he didn't care what happened right now. He only focused on the three wooden caskets that we being carried up the grassy hill to the six foot deep holes he was standing next to.

His speech had failed. Cyalinth was enslaved.

He remembered a time when he and Falco raided imperial ships with motorcycles. How he missed those times, when it was just him and Falco against the world, with no sense of duty or honor. All that was there was the sense of adventure, the unknowing, the idea of having no clue what would happen next and being perfectly okay with it.

His eyes then shifted to Slippy's casket, which was truly empty and only symbolic. The real Slippy was lost somewhere in the void of space. Memories began to surface of pre-school, of the day he first met the short, dorky little amphibian who would later become one of the most loyal people he knew.

The third and final casket contained the remains of Peppy Hare, who had died very shortly after getting back to Corneria. Fox thought he may miss Peppy the most in the long run. Peppy was practically Fox's father. He acted just like him. It seemed fitting that he should be buried alongside him.

The team would be buried in a secluded area of the Cornerian National Cemetery, which had been bought by Fox when his father had died. All Star Fox members would be buried there; himself, Krystal, and all who came after.

Fox didn't care to pay attention to what the religious leader was saying. He just stood there, his eyes shifting from casket to casket, watching the last pieces of his old self in their final moments. Fox's expression stayed stagnant when the caskets were lowered into the graves, and the others had all left.

He judged that it must have been about midnight when he finally left, with Krystal still at his side. At least she was still there.

Krystal headed to the car, but Fox began walking in another direction.

"Fox? Where are you going?"

"I've got a promise to keep. Go back to my house. I'll be home in a matter of days. I'm sorry I didn't tell you earlier. It just slipped my mind." He said, hands in his pocket. Krystal nodded in understanding, and drove off after giving Fox a warm smile.

Fox began walking to his Arwing. He was free from his old life, from war and pain, but he didn't feel free. The pain remained, and would remain for years to come. Perhaps Akiba had been correct. Maybe those who denied others freedom didn't deserve it for themselves. Or maybe they could never be truly be free.

**And it's over! I would like to thank all of you for your support on this story, and I look forward to reading your full reviews and hearing your future feedback! I hope you enjoyed reading Insanity Pulse as much as I enjoyed writing it! Thank you all!**

**-ThatWinchieGuy**


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